Dept. Store, Food Chain Seen

$1M F acelift for Marlyn Mari or

By Joe Zelnik RPO Realtors of Wildwood has purchased the Marlyn Manor Shopping Center in Middle Township and will spend at least $1 million to make it into a ‘'first-class shopping center." RPO is a partnership composed of North Wildwood realtor Roman P Osadchuk and North Jersey dentist Dr Robert J. Benzell They bought the center from the estate of the late Virginia M Rietheimer and her son, Ronald, for $525,000 in late November, according to the Cape May County Clerks office y The center is on Route 47 just east of Route 9, a site its new owners called "probably the best location in Lower Cape May County with an extremely high traffic count." IT COVERS more than six acres and has about 27 stores in total of about 90,000 square feet of buildings U will be renamed Village Shoppes of Rio Grande. "We re putting in what the county really needs," said Osadchuk, "a first-class shopping center with the caliber of stores the people in the area don't have. We want to have more variety so they don't have to travel all over." The center reportedly is in poor condi-

tion with leaky roofs, etc. Its largest building, which once contained an A&P supermarket and a Scott’s Five and Teh, has been vacant for years Other stores plus second-floor office space also are vacant "It's been sitting dormant for about 10 years with little updating," said Osadchuk The tenants haven't seen much pro gress over the years It's obsolete Now there’s a new developer who will spend the necessary money to make it into a shopp ing center offering what some of the regional shopping centers offer " RPO'S PLANS call for "covered walkways, lots of greenery, better lights We’re really going to spruce it up and make it an attraction for Cape May County," he said. Current tenants reportedly have been notified that rental increases may run as high as 40 per cent after refurbishing is completed "A couple will be leaving," said Osadchuk, "but almost everybody wants to stay, or wants more space. He said he already has "more tenants than I have space," including "a good sized department store and possibly a food (Page 12 Please)

:*n - • .. ——■- .

OBSOLETE — Marlyn Manor Shopping Center on Rl. 17 in Middletown has been purchased by RPO Realtors of Wildwood which will spend $1 million to refurbish It.

22.7 Percent Unemployed

Job Shortage‘Worse Than Ever’

Arthur C. McGuire and Frank Szyman ski share the same building in Wildwood and serve the same Cape May County clients — the unemployed McGuire, who manages the state Unemployment Insurance office, has a peak staff of 40 trying to process chaims for about 5,000 persons collecting unemployment compensation. Szymanski, who manages the state Job Service office, has a minimum staff of seven and only a half-dozen jobs available News—^ rXlfjpcf Week's Top Stories

“It's worse than ever," said Szymanski His primary goal is helping to find jobs for the people standing in line in McGuire's part of the building He shakes his head in regret a great deal IT DOESN'T TAKE Szymanski long to thumb through his stack of manilla folders with job openings a denial associate in Woodbine, an electrician in Wildwood, a companion ("I think that's filled." he in terjectsi. a medical secretary in Den nisville. a secretary in Wildwood and a typesetting machine tender in Erma "That's about it." he said, "except for life insurance sales There are openings for that all over It's a tough job “It’s always low this time of year," said Szymanski, "but there's a little bit of a downturn this year "These folders will be filled in the sum

mer," he added Statistically, Cape May County's unemployment picture is about one percentage poin worse than usual, and usual at this time of year is a disaster IN NOVEMBER, the most recent month available, the county had 22 7 percent unemployed compared to 21 8 percent in November of 1981 and 19 3 percent in November of I96J According to Chester Sherman, stale labor market analyst, the county has 31,300 employed and 9,200 unemployed To be unemployed, one mast be "looking for work How to explain the difference between Sherman's 9.200. a federal government estimate, and McGuire's actual 5,000 collecting'’ 1 Page 12 Please)

New Firm, 100 Jobs More Solid'’ Cape May County will open bids at 2 p m next Tuesday for leasing building No 12 at its airport complex in Erma The county has stipulated a minimum rent of >4,450 a month and will be surprised if it gets more than one bidder since it has already negotiated the deal with a still-lo-be financed company that will employ loo to decorate glass bottles "It's looking more and more solid every day," said Donald M Kelly, executive director of the county Industrial and Economic Development Commission Kelly said local investors are putting up $250,000 and oui principals a president, vice president, plant manager and technical manager — have applied for other loans totaling $1 l million "The lease is predicated on them receiv mg the loans," said Kelly THE PROJECT needs a federal UDAhi • Urban Development Action Grant' loan of $300,000 and a $500,000 low interest loan approved by the New Jersey Economic Development Administration for equip ment plus another $300,000 loan from the federal Small Cities Urogram for working capital. Kelly said The plant would decorate glass containers such as cosmetic bottles, mugs pharmaceutical bottles, dishware. etc . according to Kelly ‘They’ve got commitm* nls from several bottle manufacturing firms ready to use their services," he said 'Page 12 Please)

Up, Up and Away COURT HOUSE — Freeholders have proposed a salary modification" that would raise their annual pay 25 percent effective March I Their last pay hike was :n 1980 Salary would go from $12,000 to $15,000 and chairman would be raised from $13,000 to $16,000 Pioposgl will be discussed at a public hearing at b p.m Feb 8 See editorial. "Circle the Wagons," page 26 Condos Limited SEA ISLE CITY — Commissioners unanimously approved a "controlled growth" ordinance that limits con dominiums and multi-family dwellings to designated "business-residential" zones Introduced almost six months ago, the or dinance was tabled in October aftenpubliccriticism .'io and Out WILDWOOD Suspended Police Chief Harry Breslm will resign on June 30 and (Page 10 Please!

SPACED OUT — Whv are these children eating with their hsits on? Those are,homemade space helmets and that’s a specially prepared luncheon menu comparable to that eaten aboard space shuttles. It all tied in with the visit to Cape May Elementary School last week of NASA aerospace education specialist Minot

Jl i *- < • - * T W 4

II. Parker. I,eft to right. Roxann Roth. 7-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Roth of West Cape May, Sandra Harvey. 7-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M'illiam Harvey of Cape May ; and Kashon Keith. S-year-oM son of Pat Keith of Cape May.