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CAPE MAY COUNTY

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MUA Approves $160,000 Change

SWAINTON — The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority earlier this month conditionally approved a $610,000 change order to construct septage treatment facilities at the Ocean City Region Wastewater Treatment Plant. Required by the state under a statewide septage plan, the Ocean City plant is scheduled to bejjin treating septage early in 1962. / "THERE ARE JUST a few wrinkles left to iron out with the Department of Environmental Protection,” MUA Executive Director George Marinakis reported, "and then we will be ready to proceed." The MUA also has authorized $6,000 to be spent for road restoration on a short section of West Ave. near the entrance to thfc new regional wastewater treatment plant. Kenneth Holmstrup, construction coordinator, said the road presently is low, has poor drainage and is in bad condition. AUTHORITY CHAIRMAN John Vinci has once again criticized the new "phased funding" proposal of the state Department of Environmental Protection which will reduce the federal construction funds initially provided for the MUA's facilities from 75 percent of the overall costs to approximately 30 percent "Right now nobody knows what to ex-'"' pectl" Vinci stated. "The sooner the agencies make a decision the better we will be. Costs continue to escalate. Through the years bureaucratic delays and inflation have increased the prpject costa five

times. The local share has gone from $20 million originally to $100 million." THE MUA CHAIRMAN was responding to information from Marinakis stating that although the federal Environmental* Protection Agency has now approved the construction grant applications for the CSpe May Wastewater Treatment Plant and the composting facilities at the Seven^MTIe^ Beach/Middle plant site, these grants are again being held up pending the outcome

of the profmsed revisions to the state's project priority lisV "W6 are ready to go out to pid on these direly needed projects," Vinci said, “and now we must w<6t for the disposition of the phased funding proposal." An $8,500 design fee was approved to modify the former Menhaden plant on Rio Grande Ave. to accommodate the interim collection station for the county's pilot recycling programs.

MUSIC FILLED the air in downtown Wildwood Saturday during the American Legion Parade. The Legionnaires were in town last week for their annual state convention.

County To Continue Growth

COURT HOUSE - Casino gambling ii Atlantic City, the designation of the upper half of the mainland portion of the county as part of the Pinelands, and the basic desire of people to live at the shore have, and will, continue to accelerate the growth of Cape May County communities over the next severeh^ears. So says a permanent population study of county communities conducted by the county Planning Board. According to projected figures, by the year 2000 local communities will have grown anywhere from * 22 per cent in Wildwood to 100 per ffent in Sea Isle City. The overall county population is expected to increase by almost 62 per cent. IN AN‘EFFORT to provide some grasp on the overall control of this growth, the County Planning Board has revised its permanent population projections for all 16 municipalities in order to incorporate the results of the 1980 Census and to account for the anticipated impact of the Pinelands legislation and casino gambling. These projections are important for several reasons, including the need for determining county and municipal facility and service requirements. The County Board received from its staff the draft projections in July. This information was forwarded to each municipality, asking that it be reviewed by local officials, with any comments to be sent to the county by the end of September. CAPE NN eOOHTY mm) PERMANBIT POWIRHOM 180060-r

Although the figures were released in July, County Planning Board director El>vood Jarmer declined to supply the figures to the newspaper until all local officials had the chance to see them afid respond. According to Jarmer, that's the way Board chairman William Diller and other planning board members wanted the mailer handled. IN A MEMORANDUM to the

municipalities, the counfy planning staff noted the decade of the 70’s was a period of expansive population growtM in the county ' It grew from 59,554 in 1970 and 82,266 in 1980. This was an increase of 38 per cent. As in the past, the major growth factor during the 70's was the basic desire of people to live al.the shore. The combination of beautiful beaches on the islands and the (Page 14 Please)

The Diamond Seekers

by Shirlianne Gunther SUNSET BEACH - They walk for hour? bent over, faces glued to the ground, eyes searching, always searching for the clear sparkling "diamond" treausres. Cape May diamond seekers are a special breed of people. Their search is dedicated and ambitious and .their rewards urifoeasured by any actual material gain. "EVERYDAY PEOPLE come, into our store excited about their find," said Lurry Hume, partner in the Captain Kidd Treasure Chest, a most interesting store ‘ located at the point. For those unable to find any "diamonds" the store offers a reasonable alternative. Some of the loose diamonds (of good size) sell for fifty cents. Others set In sterling run from $4.95 to $35. "It's hard to get them without flaws," Hume said picking up a clear diamond and holding it to the light* "The Cape May diamond is about seven on a hardness scale of 1 to 10," he said rubbing a "diamohd" on the window behind him adding another long scratch to the geometric pattern. HUME SAID the process of getting the stone in marketable condition is a long one. "Just 'the tumbling alone is a threeweek operation." A tumbler at the store sells for approximately $31 and many seekers polish the stones on their own. “It’s best to look for them after a storm, but they'e not finding them as big as they used to," Hume said. Some of the Hume diamonds were brought In by the seekers — others purchased from a Somers Point man who has been a regular supplier of the beautiful

stones. "But all our stones are genuine Cape May diamonds." Hume stressed. . Just what is a Caf»c May diamond 9 A genuine "diamohd" is in reality a simple quartz pebble. Bht this pebble, common from Higbee’s Beach to Cape May Point and found on the beaches on the Delaware Bay side of the peninsula and sometimes on the ocean side, is a semiprecious stone. Cape May diamonds are (Page 14 Please)

The

News ^

Digest • Tof^Storfes Prosecutor Resigns

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COURT HOUSE - Although he has Agreed to continue until bis successor is named — a process that could take months - County Prosecutor Donald Charles announced Mast Thursday that he will resign as County Prosecutor when his current term expires October 16 Appointed by Gov Brendan Byrne as the county's first full time prosecutor in October 1976, the county's highest law of ficlal plans to start his own law firm in Ocean City wh?rc he has lived for II years. Only Two Lots Sold STONE HARBOR Local realtor and county Planning Board Chairman Bill Diller bid more than $320,000 to buy two r Stone Harbor Point lots put up for sale last Saturday. Ten other lots scheduled for sale - -* ranging in price from $110,000 to $250,000 — were withdrawn by the borough due to lack of bidding interest The lack of interest on the part of bidders was attributed by Mayor James Wood to current economic conditions, by local environmentalist Ruth Fisher to public realization that the development *f unprotected areas is unsound - especially since there is no guarantee that the state will construct protective Bulkheads in the area — and by others to a part of the sales agreement that could allow the state, or federal government, to claim property rights to any.land once flowed by tidewater. The development of the environmentally sensitive Point area has been opposed for several years by local environmental groups — especially the Citizens Assn for the Protection of the Environment Florio/Kean at Convention WILDWOOD Both gubernatorial candidates Thomas Kean and James Florio were in the city last Week to address the annual state Ameripan Legion convention Kean promised Thursday that his administration will not forget the veterans. In addition to promising that he will get the Camdefi Veterans Administration Hospital back dn the drawing board, the Republican candidate stressed he will push for mandatory jail sentences and the resurrection of the death penalty. Democratic candidate Jim Florio appeared at the convention Friday painting a dim future for, veterans programs and benefits under the Reagan Adminintra lion. Citing that the real power in Washington is David Stockman, director of the Office of Management and Budget, the candidate told the l^cgionnaries that Kean's promise target the veterans hospitabin Camden is futile ' Florio also made his promises to|the legion. They arc to push for a new state veterans cemetery, correct problems in the current regulations governing veterans receipt of state property tax exemptions, and continue to sec that veterans are given a preference in hiring. (Page 14 Please)

AS SUMMER DRAWS to a close visitors still flock to Sunset Beach in search of the renown Cape May Dfkmond.