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Upgrading Study Due June 4 ^

SWAINTON — June 4 has been set as the date for the receipt of the engineer’s study to upgrade existing wastewater treatment facilites in the Seven Mile Beach/Middie Region, Francis Pandullo, PQA Engineering Co., told the County Municipal Utilities Authority recently. "We have mfet with Killam Associates, the engineering firm with whom we are jointly conducting the study," Pandullo stated. "After an inspection tour of existing facilities, it was decided to prepare cost estimates on upgrading only the Sea Isle City and Avalon treatment plants. "IT WAS DETERMINED that the facilities in Stone Harbor were not worth upgrading and that the wastewater from Stone Harbor would be pumped to the Avalon plant for treatment. The criteria used by the two firms to determine the feasibility of using a structure or facility

was an additional life span of 20 years.” Pandullo explained that cost estimates are also being prepared on upgrading transmission lines and pumping stations. MUNICIPAL officials in Avalon and Sea Isle City had requested the study be done to compare the difference in the cost of upgrading existing wastewater treatment facilities and the proposed regional plan that advocated a single plant be constructed on the mainland in Middle Township north of the Jersey Cape Racquet Club. In other related matters, CMCMUA approved further soils investigation work at the pressed location of the force main crossing at Townsend's Inlet. "A preliminary evaluation indicates it cost effective to cross further to the west of the original route," Executive Director George Marinakis stated,

"and we now need to determine the soil conditions along the new route. FOUR CHANGE orders, increasing the construction cost of the Ocean City wastewater treatment plant by $12,000, were sanctioned by the authority. During a detailed explanation by Pandullo, of the origin and disposition of change orders, it was reported that only 43 of the 145 changes proposed by the construction contractor on the Ocean City job had come to the authority for approval. "We screen them and evaluate whether or not they are justifiable claims before we ask your consideration," Pandullo told the commissioners. "On this particular contract we rejected more than 100 of the proposed claims for extra work." Construction of the force mains in the Cape May Region is 25 percent complete. according to Charles Norkis. MUA Chief Engineer. "The A.V.A. Construction Co., has two crews working and it now looks as if they will complete most of the work except in the Cape Island Creek area prior to the summer cessation.

Businessense

The Wait for Bus Shelters

County Transportation planner Robert Bqnner isn’t making anymore predictions about wh^n Cape May County communities wishing to participate in a statefunded bus shelter program-will finally receive the requested shelterp. Last August he estirhated some shelters would be installed in Lower Township by Christmas. I,ater, spring was the target date; now the latest word is not until fall According to Mr. Bonner, the state has indicated it is "slightly optimistic" that construction can begin in the fall if all agreements required from the county and participating municipalities are signed, sealed and delivered to N.J Transit bv Ju iyiLOWER TOWNSHIP AND Stone Harbor were the first county municipalities to take advantage of the state funded program The Early Action Bus Shelter Program is sponsored by the state Dept, of Transportation and the N.J. Transit Corp. — money being provided fhm the 1979 state transportation bond issue Some $400,000 has been appropriated to install shelters throughout New Jersey's 21 counties. There's no limit to the number of structures any county or individual com munity can have, amrthe cost of installing the aluminum and Plexiglass structures is covered by the state. The only cost to the municipality is to fund any maintenance after installation is complete. The state also handles all paperwork According to Mr Bonner, Lower Township is requesting 27 shelters and Stone Harbor has its eye on one. The Lower Township Committee passed the resolution authorizing the purchase and installation of the shelters from N.J. Transit

at the Comttitt&'s May 24 meeting "WE HOPE TO HAVE more cbm munities requesting shelters before we [county| apply July I." the transportation planner said, indicating it would be cheaper to purchase and install a greater number at one time "Hopefully we ll be able to apply for another 20 or 25 shelters." Mr Bonner add ed, pointing out that Cape May (previously indicated’an interest in acquiring 12-15 shelters), Ocean City and Middle Township may join the program by the July I filing date Under the ongoing program, com munities can apply any time for the shelters as long as funds appropriated under the bond issue are available Even taully shelters will be located throughout the county to be Usyd by both public and Fare Free bus systerfl riders ONE STEP IN THE procedure required by the state is that local municipalities take action designating shelter sites as legal bus- stops This must be done before any shelters are installed. Currently the county's only legal bus stop is located in Cape May Although expressing optimism last sum mer that this is a s4ate program that will "actually go," Mr Bonner acknowledged recently that he’s somewhat disappointed in how long the entire process is taking He indicated that one of the stumbling blocks has been that the program first launch ed by the state in 1980 has had a constant changeover of administrative personnel "The project director and field represen tatives have changed .three time " he noted

The Answer: Freeze Spending by Wilson S. Johnson The Congress continues to wrestle with the prospect of a 12-figure deficit. To reduce the red ink, they have but two choices; raise taxes or cut spending. In an election year, neither alternative is attractive to politicians. Small-business owners, struggling to survive the crush of high interest rates, have spoken out dramatically about the kind of tax and spending programs they want. In a recent survey of members of the National Federation of Independent Business, small-business people voted against letting stand the president’s proposed budget deficit. More than 70 percent of those responding rejected the 100 billion-plus deficit. But they don’t want to sovle the budget crunch by raising taxes, offered the option of cutting the deficit by a combination of budget cuts and tax increases, 61 percent said no. Most small-business owners surveyed said the solution to the budget problem is to freeze federal spending at 1982 levels. EVEN WITH SUCH A FREEZE, the federal govern ment would be funded at the same level as it is now. There would be no cost-of-living increases for Social Security or retired federal workers, but the rise in the cost-of-living has been halted at least for now. Rep. Phil Gramm, D-Texas, thinks a freeze on cost-of-living increases — and a closer look at the rising cost of entiUement programs — is very much in order. "Cost of living increases were not earned or paid for by anybody," says Gramm " They were a gift from the Watergate Congress of 1974. They have contributed more than anything else to the insolvency of Social Security, railroad retirement and federal retirement." A freeze of spending at present levels woujd do far more than halt cost-of-living increases and hold the line on entitlements. It would halt the growth of the federal government. Polticially, it is the easiest’and fairest method of bringing spending under control. With across-the-board cuts, no one could argue that any special interests were bing marked for unfair treatment. THE DEFICITS AND THE RESULTING HIGH INTEREST RATES have taken their tolI\)f small businesses already. Bankruptcies were up significantly last year and business failures are even higher in the first months of 1962. A small-business man in Ohio wrote me recently that his business was off by 25 percent in the first quarter of 1982, and he predicted it would be worse in the second quarter. He says he will stop production for three months in the summer to cut inventory. A Montana man told me, "We have laid off eight employees and can barely keep the remaining two busy." He wonders aloud if inflation wasn’t better than this! And a California business owner commented, "Everytime government finds another dime, they spend it." That is why small business wants a freeze on spending now, and ultimately, a slow-down in the rate of increase of all federal spending. Members of Congress economists and others who don’t have to finance inventories or make payrolls in these tough times may not know how to solve the budget problem. They should listen to small business. Wilson S. Johnson is president of the National Federation of Independent Business, representing more than half a million small business men and women.