$10 M for Nursing Home, Courts

By JOE ZELNIK Cape May County is preparing to spend at least $10 million to relieve overcrowding at the Crest Haven Nursing Home and in the county court system. Representatives of each made their cases to the Board of Freeholders last week The Freeholders agreed to build a new, iBO-bed nursing home at an estimated cost of $7.5 million. And they indicated expansion of the courthouse complex, rather than construction of a new building, is preferred to handle expanding judicial proceedings. That could cost at least $3 million, sources said. Although the county would seek state News—^ niopcf Weeks Top Stories Ash on Agenda

and federal funding, the Freeholders do not anticipate such money and expect to finance both projects with bond issues THE COUNTY CURRENTLY owes about $24 billion for bond issues, according

Crest Haven Nursing Director Mary Lea Mills told Freeholders last week that the facility is “obsolete ” Although the building's maintenance and nursing care has been praised, its problems including small, bath-less rooms and narrow hallways were documented in a recent feasibility study In case of a fire, Mills said, beds could not be removed from the rooms and patients would have to be “pulled down the halls on a blanket." She said the lighting is "very dim," there are rooms whose doors “can’t be

to Freeholder William E Sturm Jr . direc tor of revenue and finance. That is about 25 percent of the county's state imposed borrowing limit of $98 million, based oft the county's equalized

shut for privacy." and almost none of the rooms has lavatory facilities. "It's not nice to talk about," she said, "but when a patient dies, we can’t get a stretcher into some rooms to remove the body.” Crest Haven has a capacity of 140 and is filled, she said The average age of residents is over 80 They come for long term Pursing and geriatric care. The county's long-range plan for Crest Haven, accepted last week, pledges “a broad range of services to ensure that pa tients will be afforded the opportunity of living their later years in dignity " r1

evaluations Sturm called that "a comfortable place to be '* An additional $10 million would bring the total to $34 million or almost 40 percent of the limit The Freeholders unanimously favored' the new nursing home on the basis of defi ciencies at the present 31-year-old, 140-bed facility and anticipated increases in the county's elderly population THEY APPEARED somewhat less cn thusiastic about court needs, outlined by Superior Court Assignment Judge Philip Gruccio and County Prosecutor John Corino, “Judges don't have to answer to the elec torate," observed Sturm after the meeting Nevertheless, the Freeholders seemed convinced that the judiciary needs more space; a need that will grow with the county's population A 1984 completion of the new nursing home was mentioned, based on getting a (Page 17 Please I

Crest Haven ‘Obsolete'

COURT HOUSE — Appointment of a Council to the Cape May County Board of Freeholders "popped up" on the agenda foHast nights meeting, According to Freeholder William E Sturm Jr who said incumbent Albert M Ash “does not have my vote " Freeholder Ralph W Evans said he would vote to table the appointment. causing speculation the controversial issue will be postponed. It will all happen to late for the Herald and Lantern deadline Ash makes $69,000 a year and will be 70 next y«*ar. His three year term expires July 1. f Busy Season CAPE MAY - Structural repairs to Convention Hall could continue until August although the city's specifications require the contractor to keep the streets and boardwalk as clear of equipment as possible after June. 30 The $350,000 project is part of a $575,000 bond issue ap proved last week Clean Stceep NORTH WILDWOOD - Council Presi dent Timothy O’Leary, who supervises the public works department, said it won’t rent city equipment to users out of the city anymore. A hubub followed when a street sweeper and truck were used at the Eastern Grand Prix and Video Center in Burleigh recently. O'Leary said Grand Prix paid $125 an hour tor the vehicles and operators.

Splash, Crash LOWER TOWNSHIP - Electricity for more than 750 Atlantic Electric customers was interrupted for three hours Sunday afternoon after a car driven by Eddie J. Bland of Whitesboro struck a utility pole near the end of the Garden State Parkway According to Lower Township Police, Bland apparent (Page 16 Please)

A Seeing Eye Pujgty Gunnar’s Rv BOH SMILES NORTH WILDWOOD - In seven mon ths Roxane and Victor Krivitski will deliver their labrador retriever, Gunnar, to Seeing Eye, Inc to be trained as a see ing eye dog Located in Morristown, Seeing Eye. Inc . is a national philanthropy founded in 1929 for the purpose of breeding, raising and training dogs to guide blind persons, and to teach the Mind to work with dogs The Krivitski's. working in cooperation

RIO GRANDE - An estimated 1000 per sons received about 10,000 pounds of free federal surplus butler and cheese at the fire half Monday Cape May County officials shut down the line at 2 p.m. in order to finish by 4 They blamed larger-than-anticipated crowds on the fact that two items were being given, plus many people chose to ignore the county's attempt to limit the first day to

Halfway to with the 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Project, are the only family in Cape May County raising a seeing eye pup Gunnar, like other potential seeing eye dogs, began life five months ago at the Seeing fciye’s breeding farm. located 15 miles from the training school Seeing eye dogs are specially bred labradors, German shepherds, golden retrievers and boxers They are ideally suited to guide the blind because of their strength and mild temperament

welfare and foqd stamp recipients. Officials were relieved that no fire occured in the area because the lines of people plus the jammed parking lot would have made it difficult to get firemen in and fire trucks out The distribution continues in Woodbine, Upper Township and Ocean City today. Wildwood tomorrow, and Cape May Friday.

His Goal THE ROLE the Krivitski's. and others involved in the Puppy Project, play is to leach the dog basic obedience This train mg begins when_thc pup is eight to 12 weeks old * “These dogs thrive on love." Roxane said, noting that obedience is taught with only praise for reward Food rewards are discouraged. "The process is one of socialization.'" Victor added, pointing out that the dog must be exposed to as many environments as possible and learn to live in everyday surroundings "We’ve had excellent cooperation from the community when we’ve asked to take our dogs in different places." she said Most stores let the dog inside, including some local restaurants ••IT’S A Blfi RESPONSIBILITY taking care of the dogs." she noted, pointing out they arc with the family at all times “You have to watch them," she laughed, pom ting to where Gunnar had chewed through a telephone wire Although Roxane is primarily in charge (Page 17 Pleasei ^

Crowd Queues for Butter