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VOL. 15 NO. 25

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1980

PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY THE SEAWAVE CORPORATION. P Q, BOX 0, AVALON. NJ, QMQ?

Program Started To Help Widowed

COURT HOUSE-A new K rnflram for the help and enefit of recently widowed persons has been an- , nounced by county Surrogate W. Robert . Ilentges. ‘it is ’perfectly normal fnl- a widowed person to •experience feelings of helplessness, remorse, lack of self-confidence and a general loss of interest in the world around them." Mr Hentges noted in announcing the program, which begins July 1. “HOWEVER.“ he continued. "it 'isn’t necessary for a widow or widower to be 'alone'. In Cape May County, we have people Who do care and who are willing to assist vou in this period of adjustment. 'HOPE. (Helping Other People Evolve) is a program for widowi and widowers of all ages." he explained. "Our objective is to assist new widows and widowers to evolve through and out of their grief. It is designed to help the widowed to continue to function and to understand the everyday necessities of ' life." THE PROJECT will be offered free of charge in cycles of three one-month phases. At each session, Ihere will be a speaker to discuss topics of vital interest including probate, Social Security, banking, real estate, inheritance taxes. The H.O.P.E. meetings will be conducted in the County Library basement meeting room every Tuesday morning at 10. It is being funded through a federal grant. Thomas Johnston is the coordinator and may be contacted by calling 4657111 ext. 226-A.

Diversion—A New Way to Deal With Juvenile Delinquency

TOWERING OVER the residential neighborhood, threestory high steel forms at the construction site for Cape May’s new ‘Frog Hollow' pumping station and giant sump provide a temporary monolith. The old pumping station is the white structure at right. Big Season Seen

COURT HOUSE - State Dept, of l^bor & Industry Commissioner John Horn has predicted "an exceptionally busy season Ibis summer” for Garden State resorts, and^tatistics released this week by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce appear to bear that out. According to Chamber president Matthew Tomlin, the flow of visitors to the Chambers’ Information Center at Crest Haven Rd. and the Garden State PVwy here increased by 121.5 percent last month over May 1979. There were 3,403 visitors last month compared to 1.536 the same period a year ago. he revealed,

noting that the April '80 increase over the previous equivalent was about 40 percent—2.012 compared to 1.436. Commissioner Horn has a reason for the banner season prediction. "The fact that New Jersey is just an overnight ride from 40 percent of the nation’s total population and that you can get anywhere in the state on less than a tankful of gasoline is making the Garden State more and more desirable for vacations.” he said. The Jersey Shore "draws thousand of tourists and vacationers back year after year." he added.

By Michele Grottoln

Juvenile offenses run the gamut from minor ordinance violations such as operating a moped without proper registration to rhbre serious crtmqs like assault

with a deadly weapon.

For years, law’enforcers who work closely with juveniles have been asking why youths arrested for minoi 1 violations should be subject to Wife same kinds of judicial processes as the more serious offenders. It is a matter further complicated by an overloaded

juvenile court system.

IT WAS ISSUES such as these that led Ocean City Police Del Mike Powell to County Prosecutor Donald Charles’s office nearly two years ago. Together the two men came up with a

solution.

It’s called the Juvenile Diversion Program. Under this program — which is now well underway in Ocean City. Avalon, and Middle Township — juvenile first offenders usually don’t appear in sfburt. Instead, their cases are brought to the attention of Asst. Prosecutor Mike Fusco who is responsible for supervising the entire Diversion Program. ONCE THE juvenile's case is cleared for the Diversion Program, the youth's family and the juvenile, meet with a Diversion Officer who carefully explains the guidelines of the program as it exists in the particular community. At this point, both the Juvenile and the parents must agree to the guidelines in the form of a

contract.

A pre-selected citiien’s committee from the juvenile's own community then reviews his or her case history. At no time are the identities of either the committee or the juvenile known one to the other. FOLLOWING THE review and consideration of the nature of the offense, the committee assigns a number of "work hours" to the youth which must be spent in a clearly defined service to ihe community. Assigned chores may include such varied ac : tlvHiea as washing police cars, cleaning the beaches, serving at various com

munity functions, or assisting the elderly. • All Diversion activities are personally supervised by members of the youth's local police department. The work' .atmosphere is casual Relevant conversations regarding any number of topics. is strongly encouraged IN MANY cases, the juveniles walk away from their completed Diversion activities with a brand new image of themselves and the police officers with whom they had contact. "They begin to see the police officer as someone

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Pinelands Impact On Rural Cape To be Explained

COURT HOU$E — There will be a public meeting 7:30 pjn. Thursday at the County Extension Service Center on Dennisville Rd. here, primarily for farm and rural property owners , to explain the proposed \ Pinelands Comprehensive

Management Plan.

Except for a Rural • Development District and 4 a smaller Regional Growth District, the major portion of Cape May County in-

cluded ii

lav County

the Pinelands

It’s Summer, It’s Skimmer Weekend

Plan is designated as the Forest District, according to senior county agricultural agent John MacLeod The Forest District is the rural area where development would be most severely

restricted

"WHILE SOME Agricultural Districts have been designated in other

SEA ISLE CITY - As it has since time immemorial, the summer solstice will occur this weekend in the northern hemisphere — but on this spot of the globe, summer's arrival will be heralded for the 18th time with a community-wide block party, and old-fashioned straw hats will be everywhere. "Skimmer Weekend'’ goes back to the infamous 1962 storm when the Jersey 1 Shore was devistated. Here, the old bdSrdwalk, pier and hundreds of homes and business were lost to the pounding sea. After the storm, the city went about

clearing the debris and rebuilding the resort. In place of the old boardwalk, the city constructed a mile-long, million-dollar concrete and asphalt promenade which not only serves as a 'boardwalk,' but added protection against future storms. When the promenade was officially opened, city fathers and the Chamber of Commerce wanted to commemorate the event as the re-birth of the resort and decided on a giant weekend celebration. The event was called "Skimmer Weekend" because it came at the time

SEA ISLE CITY’S Community Center on Kennedy Blvd. will be dedicated in honor of Mayor Dominic C. Raff* during 1:39 p.m. ceremonies Jane 21 as part of the annual Skimmer Weekend.

of year when, in bygone days, men put aside their winter hats and donned the lightweight straw hats or

skimmers At that first Skimmer Weekend the city wanted something symbolic for the

Mayor Raffa weekend so they ordered a few hundred skimmer hats and sold them to help defray the costs of the event. The hats proved so popular that thousands have been sold over the (Pages Please)

counties, no Agricultural District for Cape May County has been indicated in the Pinelands Commission's draft proposal Pinelands staff members have indicated hoWever. that such districts could be formed if local farmers with sufficient agricultural acreage wish to voluntarily ask for them," MacLeod

explained.

The county agent noted there is a 60-oay period prior to August 8-for the public to consider the plan and to make their feelings , known at the various E blic hearings which will convened during the first half of July. Unless there is an extension of time, the N.J. Pinelands Commission is scheduled to adopt the final revised Comprehensive Management Plan on

Augusts.

THE MEETING scheduled for June 19 here will be devoted primarily to discussion of the proposed Pinelands Plan as it will effect farm and rural property owners whose lands currently are B laced in the Forest

istrict

Anthony Esser, Pinelands Commission staff member, who has worked on the agricultural portien of the Pinelands Plan, and other members of thf Pinelands Commission staff will be presenj to explain the overall proposed compreheiwive plan and to specifically give detailed information on the Forest and Possible Agricultural Districts (Page 3 Please)