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TPsNotasColdas You Think

Although several cold weather records have been set the past few days in Cape May County, unless temperatures push the sub-zero range for the remaining two weeks of January. 1977 will continue to be,' on the average, the coldest January in Cape May history. And while many people won’t believe it — since tht^y're still slipping and sliding on iCy highways and recovering from the storm which dumped several inches of snow throughout thi Jersey Cape Region — January 1981 was on the whole, much colder than this month. According to Cold Spring resident Wayne Roop—who serves as a Cooperative Weather observer for the National Weather Service—the. average temperature in January 1977 was 23.7 degrees. So far the average temperature this month has hovered at 28 degrees. "IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE this is going to be the colaest January," Roop said Sunday, noting it appears more moderate weather is on its way. (Page 16 Please)

OUTSIDE THE IDLE KILN, hundreds of pallets at the magnesite plant gathering snowflakes. ,

Idle Plant Mirrors Economy

CAPE MAY POINT - The "Magnesite Plant" on Sunset Blvd. near here, which has been shut down since mid-December due to the lagging economy, will definitely reopen, according to a company spokesman -c although it may not be until the spring or even summer. The plant, formally known as the Harbison-Walker Refractories division of Dresser Industries, makes from sea water ingredient used in the manufacture of fire brick. Since fire brick is used primarily as a lining for steel furnaces, whenever there is a slowdown in the manufacture of steel, plant operations here are effected, often to the extent of temporary plant closings. THE PLANT HAS BEEN closed several

Public hearings on the N.J. Transit proposal to terminate rail service on the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Line (PRSL) between Lindenwold and Ocean City and Cape May, effective March 31, have been rescheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday evenings in Cape May County. The public is invited to attendlhe hearings to express their views on the jkoposed termination rail service, now operated by Conrail under contract to NJ Transit, would be replaced by bus service. Rail service to Atlantic City will not be immediately affected, pending further review. THE HEARINGS BY NJT are scheduled for 8 p.m. Jan. 27 in Conrail Chambers in Ocean City City Hall^and 8 p.m. Jan. 28 in the old court house building, Cape May Court House.

times over the past few years, lately for three or four months at a clip. The latest shutdown, howeveiT comes only a handful of weeks f allowing the plant's reopening in Novembei after having been closed since July. According to a knowledgeable source, a couple of unusual aspects of the latest shutdown are }hat there were also several foremen n addition to the 85 hourly laborers laid off, and a number of other plants operated by the parent company were also ihut down. The source indicated that scuttlebutt has the plant's reopening as late as June. According to plant manager Richard (Page 16 Please)

NJT announced Dec. 1 it would hold public he&rings on December 17 regarding the termination of service on the two branches, but two weeks later postponed the hearings in response to many requests from elected officials, concerned citizens, and commuters who requested more time to study the termination proposal. ACCORDING TO NJT. seYvioe between Lindenwold and Olean City has been suspended since August due to a problem with the Crook Horn Creek Bridge. Service to Cape May was«halted in early October, when the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) placed a 15 mph restriction on an 18-mile section of the PRSL branch, causing delay! of 60 to 70 minutes. Substitute bus service, operated by Transport of New (Page 28 Please)

Don’t Be

Surprised When Trash

Rates Rise SWA INTON — Solid waste tipping fees in New Jersey increased by 57 cents per cubic yard under two new state laws which took effect Jan. 1 In Chpe May County, ac cording to Ted O’Netll, solid waste manager of the county Municipal Utilities Authority, the additional charges will increase the average cost of refuse disposal for most communities and private businesses by over 50 percent, or over $200,000 annually. “The N.J State Recyclinn Act. signed into law late in 1981, sets a 12 cents per cubic yard recycling surtax on all refuse disposed of in .the state." O’Neill explain ed. "Forty-five percent of the funds generated by this tax will be made available as grants to communities that establish local recycling programs. County communities now participating in our Phase I Recycling Program or which join our.program this year, will be eligible for these grants beginning next year." O’NEILL SAID grant awards will be based on the quantity of materials recycled. These quantities will be certified and communities will be assisted in applying for grants as part of the Phase I County Municipal Utilities Authority's program • Up to 25 percent of these tax funds will also be made available for county and local recycling program planning, administration and public information and education programs An additional 20 percent of these funds will be made available to private recycling industries as low interest loans and loan guarantees. "If the MUA's Phase I program is Successful. about 50 percent of the tax monies we pay this year will return to the county," O'Neill related in a news release. "With full-scale county-wide recycling after 1983, we should receive back more tax monies than we will pay because of our higher level of recycling activity. This tax will be reduced to 6 cents per cubic yard after 1985, and expires at thfe end of 1986. This recycling tax is exempt from 1 the CAPS law." ACCORDING TO information released by O’Neill, the largest increase in state(Page 16 Please)

Airing on Fate of Rails

News-. Digest

The ^ A A ^ a Week's Top Stories

HudTdle Over MUA

AVALOI^t 1 Solicitors and elected official., from five municipalities met in closed session here Jan. 12 to discuss possible litigation and their dissatisfaction with the operations of the county Municipal UtilHies Authority Represented at the meeting were of ficials from Avalon. Sea Isle City. Middle Twp.. Wildwood and North Wildwood Suggestions and options considered dur ingthe meeting haven't been discussed publicly, but according to reports, Avalon Councilman James Busha has indicated the group's concerns may be brought before the county Freeholders in the near future. The freeholders will have to consider - the re appointment of MUA chairman John Vinci when his term expires in February See story inside: Wnsfewoter Talk's Set by MUA.)

Accord on TV

OCEAN CITY — City and Teleprompter cable tv officials have reached ah agreement following negotiations which will, among other points; enable cable sutecribers here to once again receive both Channel 12, the Public Broadcasting System station in Wilmington, and WNEW Channel 5 out of New York City ' But in order to pick up these stations, subscribers will'need a converter from p Teleprompter, reporfedly available for $1 per- month rental, enabling them to pick 1 up the PBS programming on converter Channel I. and WNEW, which will Ik* seen over converter Channel- D In return for a promise nor to sue the cable tv firm for replacing WNEW last year with the Atlantic City station WWAC <as required by FCC regulations). Teleprompter also has promised to include both Channels 5 and 12 when its new 21-channel capacity confes on line, and provide 14 service channels to the city regardless of the number of pay tv channels (like Prism and Showtime) . which become available in the rapidly advancing cable and satellite tv fields County Not Pining ; COURT HOUSE - Although the county has met the state law rqquiring the counties submit a local comprehensive plan to the Pmelands Commission by Jan 14 so it can be determined if they comply with (he Pinelands Management Act. thf (freeholders acknowledged here last week that they already know their plan isn’t in compliance Concerned that the pmelands regula lions will limit development fnore than existing county regulations, the freeholders haye opted to submit (he county's original comprehensive plan established in the mid 1960's and updated'* in 1978 - in lieu of making adjustments^ to comply with a law they strongly oppose. Officials here are hopeful that a (Page 28 Please)

inside A ID IS SOUGHT for victims of a /ire...Page 12 HELP ON term papers is available for high schoolers at the County Library...Page 14 OLD FASHIONED town meeting's being called to hick off a Victorian-styled firemen's museum...Page4