‘Open Up Our Area’ Tolls on Route 55?

The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce wants Route 55 to be a toll road. The chamber says that's the only way the “road to nowhere” will ever be completed. Route 55 is primarily a bypass around Millville and Vineland, running. from Malaga south to just north of Port Elizabeth. Money to extend the road into Cape May County was in a bond issue approved by voters a dozen years ago, according to Robert C. Patterson Jr., chamber executive director. But while local officials fought over the route, he said, the money was spent. Now, Patterson said, the chamber has learned that the state has once again removed Route 55 from it$ 20-year master plan. “Nothing will be done before the year 2,000," he warned. The chamber wants an east-west extension into Cape May County to "open up our area and all of South Jersey to continued economic growth and jobs." It has contacted local chambers, municipal officials, motel-hotel associations, etc. to urge them to support legislation that would create a South Jersey

Turnpike Authority to complete Route 55 as a toll road. Tolls could apply only to new roadway, not to the portion already buiit, Patterson said. The Sea Isle City Board of Commissioners quickly unanimously approved a resolution urging creation of a new highway authority “to float bonds to finance completion of the long-delayed highway, whitih would have its terminus near Sea Isle City." Assembly bWl A-1B29 was introduced by first District Assemblyman Guy F Muziani of Wildwood and S-1800, a companion bill, was introduced by First District State Sen. James Hurley of Millville. Patterson said the bill is supported by Gov. Thomas Kean. The chamber said that, besides boosting the area's economic growth, extension of Route 55 would create thousands of highway construction jobs. The limited access highway also would reduce traffic on Routes 40. 47 and 49, which the chamber called "two-lane, stagecoach roads full of curves, bends, intersections and ever-increasing commer (Page 20 Please)

t Oorli Ward j SHORT. HAPPY LIFE — Staff of Cape May County's "First Call for llrlp'' put up a "Rest in Peace" sign last week as they closed their 5%-year-old agency due to lack of funds. Director David Fothcrgill-Ouinlan, Kathleen Armand, left, and Joyce Shapiro all reportedly have located jobs elsewhere.. County Freeholders and the United Way. the agency's original sponsors, hope to offer a similar service with a different name and reduced staff.

Birds, Visitors Flock to Area 'Unique Plans’ for Meadows

By Bob Shiles S CAPE MAY — The Nature Conservancy. a non-profit land conservation organization, has completed a draft management plan for the South Cape Meadows — a plan the organization's Pennsylvania/New Jersey director has described as "unique." "The plan is unusual in that it requires

more intervention and control of human access than plans for other conservancy management areas," director Bud Cook said. He emphasized that more supervision will be needed because of the large number of visitors that flock to the area each year. The 180-acre tract, consisting of coastal meadows and dunes, extends from Cape Philosopher‘Old’ Out of By Joe Zelnik A philosopher-undercover cop who's "not into drinkitig" and calls himself "the world’s worst eater" has just finished his first season as —what else? — owner of a Cape May bar and restaurant. South Philadelphian Wayne J. Piersanti says he's "grown to like the job" or running "The Shire," located on the Washington Street Mall. He closed Satur day, but can’t wait until he reopens in midMarch. Piersanti's business cards are indicative of the change in style he brought to what was the Old Shire Tavern. Its symbol was the ubiquitous American Eagle. Pier santi’s card added a beret, sunglasses and goatee to the bird. And he emphasizes the restaurant's new name. "There is a new owner and it’s a new ballgame." Piersanti, 35, never saw the Jersey shore until he was 15 and came to spend part of a summer with an aunt who ran a rooming house in North Wildwood. "It was my first experience outside South Philadelphia." he said, "and I liked it." PIERSANTI was reared at 8th and Miflin in a "shaky neighborhood with racial tension. I hung with people older than me. My friends were into hard drugs Many were arrested. Several committed suicide." He began spending summers at the shore and was a short order cook at Mariano’s on the Wildwood boardwalk from 1965 to >1969. / "In 1967.1 set a record for most cases of

May to Cape l\Ifay Point. A prime habitat for migratory birds, including the peregrine falcon, osprey and bald eagle, the area will be managed as a nature preserve with special attention on habitat for rare and endangered species of birds. The preserve will lx* named the "Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge." (Page 20 Please) Cop Takes ‘Old Shire’ indigestion," he joked. "I was remarkably ill-traveled until then," he said. "It gave me an entirely dif ferent perspective on life. Part of that perspective was the fact that Mr Mariano worked five months and took off twelve "I found that intriguing." said Piersanti "Everyone I knew worked 52 weeks out of the year. I started going around to real estate offices and asking prices, but I didn't have any money and they threw me out." WHILE COMPLETING undergraduate school at Temple University, Piersanti spent four more summers on the Wildwood boardwfllk working in a gifts bop called The Pipeline. Both Mariano's and the Pipeline are now closed "When I quit, they go out of business,” he joked But the owner of the Pipeline. Anthony Rantuccio, owns the Liberty Mine, a gift shop across the street from the Shire, and was one oFhis Cape May friends who encouraged him to buy the restaurant Piersanti got his master’s in philosophy in May 1973, but couldn’t afford to go fulltime for his doctorate and his goal of being a college philosophy teacher So he joined the Philadelphia Police Department. "I knew I wanted to be self-employed." he said, "but I had no capitaf. I saw it in the sense of a gold miner in the 1840s I had to get a grub stake. The pay was reasonably good in those days, and I saved (Page 12 Please)

News—'— DigeSt To'p'storirs One More Time? COURT HOUSE. Citing 18 years of experience between them, county freeholders William E. Sturm Jr and Ralph W Evans announced in a joint statement that they’ll seek reelection in November Both Republicans, Sturm was first elected in 1971 and seeks a fifth three-year torm;'Evans was first elected in 1977 and seeks a third term Tempest Fugit? WILDWOOD CRESt - Raymond Bruce Tempest Sr. did not appear for an arraignment Dec 29, and hu ise will go to the grand jury for action empeit. 41. was arrested by local police .ftcr a minor auto accident Dec 27. ami charged with possession of and being under the in fluence of cocaine. He reportedly owns the El Coranado Motel and Wildwood Bowl and Sundance Lounge Cen te.r Reopened MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - Commit teewoman Patricia Peterson reopened the Whitesboro Recreation Center and rehired Bruce Bethune. one of four staff members she fired Dec. 27 after two "unauthorized” parties. She said a police investigation continues ^ Thousand Tour CAPE MAY — A record crowd of more than 1.000 persons wended their way v (Page 12 Please) Girl Spoilt Project Needs More Careers A Girl Sc6ut program that appeared to ’be fizzling has sputtered back to life after t|M? Herald and Lantern reported a "very poor respoase" fr6m Cape May County residenLs. The project’, is called "Walk a Day-in My-Shoes" and is sponsored by the Holly Shores Girl Scout Council which has 7,000 members, almost 1.000 in Cape May County. ^‘Walk a Day" plans to match Girl Scouts with adult sponsors for one.normal work day. giving the girls first-hand job experience that could help them make career choices But although 200 county firms or i\ dividuals were contacted in October, only five originally volunteered to participate^ Additional publicity, however, has brought more results and encouraged the council to extend its deadline for volunteers through January THE LATEST volunteers include an (Page20Plewe)