Chamber: Keep Courts in Court House

By JOE ZELNIK COLD SPRING — The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce board of directors last week unanimously supported county freeholders’ anticipated plans to expand judicial services in their present Cape May Court House location. The vote backed an appeal by the Middle Township chamber and appeared to put N the board in opposition to the county bar association which has sued the county to prevent it from “piecemeal; stop-gap’’ ex-

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Digest

Good Buy?

COLD SPRING — Lower Township school board members voted 8-1 last week to approve the $60,000 purchase of 12 acres adjacent to Maud Abrams elementary school. Dissenting voter Debi de la Cretaz criticized the action as buying “property that-really isn’t necessary...with taxes going up at 112 percent a year.” Twice before, Lower voters disapproved district bonding proposals to finance the land purchase. Curbs Coming CAPE MAY — City Manager Fred Coldren reported to City Council Monday night that there has been a good response to notices sent to some 130 property owners to install curbs, or sidewalks, or both. The property owners have 90 days to comply, although some extensions are' possible, he said. The city will do the work for those who don’t and bill them, Coldren said. Last Supper NORTH WILDWOOD - Cape May County’s Private Industry Council, being merged with Atlantic County, held its final session last Wednesday. Chairman Gregory Willis reviewed its performance and Freeholder Director Anthony T. Catanos presented plaques to its 18 members. Including'county Freeholders and other guests, some 30-35 persons attended the dinner meeting at Zaberer’s Restaurant. Dashing Limit STRATHMERE — Tbe county freeholders are not looting favorably on the Stratmere Improvement Association’s request to reduce the 45 mph speed limit on Ocean Drive to 30 mph from June through September so residents can safely cross the street. The state would have to approve the change, noted Freeholder William Sturm. The freeholders referred the request to the county engineer, however. f Page 36 Please)

pansion adjacent courthouse.

to the present-

Directors voted at a luncheon meeting in Cold Spring Village last Thursday after hearing Freeholder William J. Sturm Jr say that Cape Ma$ Court House without the courts would be "the same as Wildwood without its Boardwalk, Cape May without its Victorian mall, or Ocean City without the Tabernacle.’’ The county chamber has gotten into hot water in the past for either taking or not

taking sides in controversial issues It was castigated by the Lower Township chamber in April for supporting legislation that would allow restaurants to sell beer and wine by the glass, after having not opposed an Atlantic Electric rate hike. Chamber members were split on the controversial beer and wine question, and chamber directors agreed their involve-

ment was a no-win situation.

“I don’t think this is pitting two groups of members against one another,”- said

Robert C. Patterson Jr, t mber executive director. “We re concerned with the economic well-being oOhe businesses in Cape May Court House, regardless of what they are To relocated courthouse facilities would seriously jeopardize these

businesses "

STURM GAVE DIRECTORS 20-minutes of "background” 6q the issue, at their invitation. He said it was a “street view’ of one who lived within three blocks of the <Page 36 Please)*

Weeks

Top Stories

f \

Marlyn Missing

RIO GRANDE — A major portion of the Marlyn Manor shopping center on ' Route 47 bit the dust Monday as the - f demolition portion of a major renovation project began. Lou Benzell of North/ Wildwood, site manager for RPO Realtors, which purchased the center for $525,000 last fall, said 40 new stores are expected to open in the spring including a Reynolds Department Store, fanner’s market, and fast-food restaurant,

possibly Roy Rogers.

^ ’Wl CARE MAY

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Vol.19. No.38 IMS S«o<«<ov« Corp All figMi »»**fw*d

September 21,1983

e Key to County Death Rates

YOUNG REPUBLICAN — Gov. Thomas Kean meets Adam Horns tine, and his morn, Mrs. Linda Horns tine of Wildwood Crest, at the annual Republican picnic attended by several thousand persons in the county park Sunday. 3

New Bank Due in County

COURT HOUSE — A new bank will be coming to Cape May County, one of several results of the pending acquisition of Guarantee Bank by First Jersey National Corp. First Jersey will move its local branch, at 107 Main St., two blocks south to the Guarantee Bank office at the corner of Main and Mechanic streets, according to Richard Hazen,. president The current First Jersey building will be sold to “a new banking competitor,” he said. TTiat competitor, introduced as a re-j-quirement of “anti-trust considerations,”

Bridge Work: Late, But Likely

STONE HARBOR — It looks like renovation of the 96th Street bridge into this borough will go ahead this fall, although a few weeks later than expected. Still lacking is a permit from the U.S. Coast Guard, but its 3rd district assistant bridge administrator, Gary Kasoff, told the Herald and Lantern Monday that his recommendation for approval was “being typed” and should get to Washington this week. He said he thought the Coast Guard permit should be issued by Sept. 30. The state Department of Transportatioo is advertising the $4-million project on Oct. € and will open bids Nov. 3, according to John McCann of its Local Aid Office in

There aarmally is an interval between

bid opening and contract awarding, but McCann said the state is “trying to get an exception so it can be awarded immediately.” THE PROJECT IS expected to require two, six-month work poinds with the bridge — the only direct mainland route to Stone Harbor — closed from mid-October to mid-April this year and next year. Ihat mid-October ringing this year obviously will be several weeks late. When the bridge is closed, traffic will be detoured via Avalon Boulevard, according to John McCarthy, Transporation Department engineer for Cape May County. It win be a M0 mile detour, he pointed out. McCarthy said a detour over North (Page 36 Please)

according to Hazen, also will buy two other bank offices in the county. But be declined to say in what communities or whether they are currently First Jersey or Guarantee buildings. Those anti-trust concerns require First Jersey to divest itself of some deposits, Hazen added. NONE OF THIS will take place until early next,-year, Hazen said, pending approvals by shareholders and - banking regulatory agencies. All this results from First Jersey’s acquisition of Guarantee, announced in April, for about $40 million. NO JOBS WILL BE LOST because of the acquisition, Hazen said. He said the Guarantee building was chosen for First Jersey’s Court House office because it is larger and has “a nice location.” First Jersey has four member banks and 52 banking offices, five in the county: Court House, Avalon, North Wildwood, Ocean View and Stone Harbor. Guarantee’s 21 banking offices include nine in the county: Cape May, Court House, Court House Plaza, North Cape May, Villas, Ocean City, Sea Isle and two in Rio Grande. First Jersey, the state's seventh largest commercial hanking orgamzailon, ramo to Cape May County in August of 190 with purchase of the fhr*affice First People's Bank of New Jersey. The purchase of Guarantee wUl make U the state's sixth largest bank 7 with more then IS billion in assets It now has $1.46 btiben and Guarantee has 9417 milhoc.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE - Cape May County's high death rates due to heart disease,, cancer and cerebrovascular disease result mainly because it has a high proportion of elderly residents, according to a study released by Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital The hospital paid Network Inc.-of Randolph $4,800 for the statistical study. The health care, consulting firm • has done previous work for the hospital. Crude statistics for 1981 showed the county highest in the state in deaths from heart disease, second in the state in cancer deaths and third in the state in deaths from cerebrovascular disease. But once the statistics were adjusted to compensate for its 20 percent population age 65 and over — compared to a statewide average of 11.5 percent — the county's heart disease death rate was second highest in the state, cancer death rate fourth highest, and cerebrovascular disease deaths 21st. / E STUDY CONCLUDED that age accounts for most of the variation in the state’s 21 counties, and, once that was taken into consideration, differences among counties were “not statistically significant.” Burdette Tomlin administrator William H. Waldron III said the study was done toC answer concerns caused by earlier release of the crude statistics, and to counter “the allegedly age-adjusted statistical report entered into evidence in - court by Dr. Nanavati.” Cardiologist Dr. Suketu Nanavati has sued the hospital for dismissing him. Network reportedly i\ preparing a report specifically on Dr Nanavati’s statistics. THE NETWORK STUDY also included deaths due to pneumonia and influenza and cirrhosis. Crude statistics indicated the county 17th in the state in pneumonia and influenza deaths and fifth in cirrhosis deaths. Age-adjusted statistics showed the county 21st in pneumonia and influenza deaths and eighth in cirrhosis. As with the other causes of death, the study said differences among counties were “not statistically significant." WHILE FINDING no correlatibn between geography and death rates, the study said there are relationships between death rates and life style and risk factors. It cited cigarette smoking, untreated or undetected hypertension, stress levels, obesity and use of preventive health care facilities. The study also considered economic status as a factor in death rates, but drew rxKcoodusions. It repented that the cotgity has “the lowest family income, the seventh lowest per capita income and ranks ninth from the highest for the poverty scale and tenth for family poverty rate.” ' * The study said that its one-year analysis of mortality rates was “only a ‘snapshow’ view” and a more complete picture would require additional examination “over time.” Waldron said there has been no decision on whether to continue such studies "It drysk on if we can afford it annual (Pace 31 Please)