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' Herald & Lantern 18 January '84

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Stubbs Requests State Probe Meadows

By EJ.OL’FFY^ NORTH CAPE MAY - Lower Township Republican candidate Samuel Stubbs asked the state to investigate municipal hiring ' of two consultants even before he threatened last week to request an injunction against the conynittee He. made the threat before the committee voted during a public hearing to establish a five-member Incinerator -Authority. But, Stubbs confirm etflater last' week, any" injunction request to block the authority, will depend on the outcome of . the proposed investigation ■ by the state Department of Community Affairs. ‘V^e re going to see what comes of this first,“-he explained referring to the-ex-pected investigation His probe request was still under evaluation last week by Carmine Capone, deputy director of DCA's Division of Local Government.. Stubbs

'said.

IN A JAN. 5 LETTER, Stubbs, his son, Michael.- and the township council can- - didate s steering- committee member. Depi de la Cretaz, asked Capone to reviewtownship hiring of Sanborn-Wielenga Associates as recreational efficiency experts. by Resolution 83-116. from July 5 to .Sept 6 That firm produced a study in - September entitled “A Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Alternative for Lower Township, N.J.” — the Stubbs-de la Cretaz team thinks something stinks. • "In checking vouchers, submitted byMarc Lange and Sue Sanborne (of Sanborn-Wielenga Associates), it wasi found that vouchers were submitted and paid^well past the expiration date of Resolution 83-116,"’ the trio wrote Capone "Checks were issued to Marc Lange and Sue Sanbom separately and not to the professional association they claim to be,” the team noted. "Further investigation reveals that no contract was executed between Sanborn-Wielenga Associates or Sue Sanbom and Marc Lange, respectively, in the Township of Lower. "Funds were not certified to cover ex- ‘ penses incurred by these two people, therefore violating the Local Public Contracts Law," they alleged jn the letter. They contend that Sanbom and Lange, husband and wife, may have been hired as recreation efficiency experts merely to •disguise the true intent of their study — incineration. . ' In any-case, de la Cretaz and Stubbs niaintain, important -information about Sanborn-Wielenga’s hiring.- and th^ incinerator study Sue Sanbom and -Marc /ange authored, were unavailable to the public ^before or during the hearing last week on the formation of an Incinerator Authority. “MR. FOTHERG1LL, deputy mayor...." wrote Stubbs-de la Cretaz ‘‘claims that' Miss Sanbom has a ‘list of projects and credentials two and a half pages long '.«We‘ recently requested a copy df those credentials from Mr. Fothergill When questioned as to the whereabouts of said credeiftials his response was. ‘if we can't find them in Township Hall we will secure new ones.’-t' "Morally, it was wrong, in my opiniqp. Samuel Stubbs said of the SanbornWielenga hiring and the purported mystery sufrounding it. "I don'j know w hat they stood to gain by it became it was going to come out anyway, maybe after the (Novembermection, but it would have, cqmeout." Sanborn-Wielenga was reportedly paid $3,500 to complete the incinerator study - but de la Cretaz has complained, the consultants have apparently been paid twice that much and a good bit of it after the resolution hiring them expired. When Samuel Stubbs and de la Cretaz lodged their.* allegations — that the township committee might have violated - the Local Public Contracts Law by hiring Sanborn-Wielenga and paying them after Resolution 83-116 expired — Township Solicitor Bruce Gorman said he contacted Qounty«prosecutor John Corino and told him "to do whatever he felt .was necessary" to correct.any governmental oversights. •"The matter will be- corrected by a retroactive resolution." Gorman added "HeTl (Corino) tell us if there is a further problem." CQRINQ HAS BEEN .unavailable for comment on the Sanborn-Wielenga hiring. He was. however, sent a cojjy of the Stuhbs-de la Cretaz request for a state investigation. •■“AIL these letters that Mr. Stubbs is writing, are just part of Campaign '84 and have to be viewed as such," Gorman continued

"He (Stubbs) hasn't made any Jnjunc tion request,” the solicitor said Fijiqay. "I have ^ had no call from any attorney representing Mr. .Stubbs.. If and when he does it, we ll cross that bridge at that tin^" : Lawyer Louis F. Homstihe confirmed Friday, that he has met with Samuei Stubbs and deia Cretaz to discuss a possible request for an injuneflon-though. , "We are following it Uhematter) closely..." he said, declining further comment for the record until he reviews the matter

in detail..

Nevertheless, de la Cretaz said Saturday night that she. Stubbs and Homstine have ruled out an injunction request until they

hear from the DCA.

PART OF THE DISPUTE between Fothergill and S^ubbs-de la Cretaz team, ■seems to be a failure in communications The Lantern viewed Sanborn and Lange's credentials Jan. 4 and Sanborn-Wielenga s initial proposal foj township recreation

projects:

The coufile did intend devaluate recreation and estimated the cost of that study for the township, according to the initial proposal A news item, reporting the hiring,.appeared in the July 2q Lantern. The study was apparently expanded toward incineration after the initial proposal was shbmitted as Fothergill maintained. BuLide la Cretaz argued, the towmship committee had no right to circumvent tpe Local Public Contracts Lawconsultants. And, she noted, copies of credentials Id have known that a contract should have been drawn up,” she said-of Gorman and the hiring "He also probably knew it (the study) was for an incinerator.” Referring to the hiring in a Jan. 10press release, de.la Cretaz asked if "Solicitor Gorman advised Mr. Fothergill not to answer questions pertaining to the (incineration) report and if so. -why?” She also asked: "Is Solicitor Gorman involved in any way with Mr. Fothergill's oil leases in Michigan/and Utah or any other business endeavors of Mr. Fothergill’s?” Although Gorman and he share the same office byilding in Rio Grande, Fothergill said Monday that, "Bruce (Gorman) has never had anything to do with anything of mine, personal or otherwises. “they are really getting ridiculous...," he said of the Incinerator Authority critics, regarding de la Cretaz's question as. an

indication.

“Find, some fault with something w% really need, fault-finding with,” he suggested, "not my personal life. . They’re trying te discredit it (the In- ‘ cinerator Authority) through my personal involvement.” be charged. According to Democrats Gorman and Fothergill, the major reason for the dispute is political. Stubbs tried unsuc-' cessfully in November to Unseat Democratic Mayor Peggie Bieberbach and is now a candidate fer the fivemember township council which will replace the three-member township committee in July. Stubbs' soq, Michael, and de.la Cretaz. were involved in last year’s

campaign.

AFTER FOTHERGILL first cited politics as the motivation behind the Stubbs-de la Cretaz opposition, to the township 'Committee’s incineration concept, de la Cretaz observed that politics is part of the nation's time-honored system of ohgcks and balances. Fothergill introduced the SanbornWielenga incineration concept in--November as an alteniative to a countyMunicipal Utilities Authority trashtransfer station in Burleigh, Middle Township. The county freeholders, however, voted to proceed with the Burleigh plan Jast month. As envisioned by Sanborn-Wielenga, the township and adjoining municipalities can avoid the expense of hauling tons of trash to distant landfills by burning it at an environmentally sound location in Lower. Harbison-Walker Refractories — - the abandoned magnesite plant' at Sunset Beach — is the recommended site for the incinerator because its tall smokestack is fitted with scrubbers that filter noxious particles from fumes ' Equipped with as many as four iticinera : tion units, trash from Lower and other municipalities could be used as’fuel — producing steam for industrial tenants at the tdwnship-ow-ned complex, according to Fothergill. The trash which is now a headache could be a blessing to township

taxpayers through the potential ratables and jobs the industrial tenants would provide. he arguqd. , .While the township continued pegotia lions with Harbison Walker to acquire its prpperty, the county MU A announced last month that 'it, too, was interested in the site as a possible location for an incinerator. THE MI A COMMISSIONED a leasibility study that is due for completion early next month If the MUA builds an. incinerator at the magnesite plant, though, it would only be one of several throughout the county. George Marinakis. MUA executive director. confirmed Since Harbison-Wa|ker s land has been for sale at a minimum of $1 'million and was recently revalued by the township at twice that amount, a single incinerator there would be uneconomical for the MUA to operate. Fothergill insisted SanbornWielenga s ideas for the site are more realistic, be said. The township Incinerator Authority will be charged with reviewing-the-Sanborn-Wielenga recommendations and other trash disposal alternatives for the township. Its formation last’ week, Gorman explained, was in part to "pre-empt" the county MUA from pulling rank on Lower’s incineration ideas if the authority decides to develop them.. * .. But, before any? incinerator complex could be created by the authority, he conceded, the MUA would have to approve the plans.

(From Page 1)

Meadows was not on the list at all. "We’re going to try and get some (state) funds or see if Use Army Cbrps of Engineers will do something." Bieberbach explained. ”But\you know they’re not going to give.us any furtds for our little bitty

place dow n here. "

"We would hope that the two of them would be related," said Jarmer, referring to possible shore protection money from the state and federal governments. SEVERAL YEARS AGO. he added, the * U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed a plan for protecting the coastline between Cape May (Cold Spring) Inlet and Cape May Point that called for jetties, dune fill and dune stabilization — including $7 million in' work along South Cape

Meadows

The Corps, though, contends that possible property loss from storm flooding* in that vicinity does. not. warrant expenditures on that scale. Nevertheless, Jarmer noted, an authorizing bill for the multi-million dollar Water Resources Act has been reporleti. out of the U S. House of Representatives' Public Works Committee. The full House should act on the measure this spring, followed by the Senpte, he said. - But the authorization bill is not an appropriation, Jarmer stressed. Unless Congress passes the bill and a complementary measure to pay for the shore protection projects, none of them will be funded. Until the first bill makes its way through Congress there’s no guarantee South Cape Meadows will get any. of the potential federal money to prevent future flooding.

y*

SoutfeCape Meadows Frequently Flood. News Digest-

t (From Page l) i ‘ piece of garbage,” citing its target of layoffs for temporary employes. He called council members “.idiots” and "jerks" and threatened to lock them out of City Hall. If they could get in, council, was scheduled for a work session — and possible reply — last night. Tax Write-off COURT HOUSE — County Freeholder James S. Kilpatrick Jr. hasn’t had much luck getting donations of antique furnishings for the old county court house. In fact» he’s had no positive response at all. The county needs 19th Century tables, chairs and accent pieces to restore the historic building for posterity. Tax-deductible donations can be arranged by contacting Harry E. Kehr,\supenntendent of county Buildings and Grounds, at 465-7911, ext. 240-241. Empty Seats VILLAS — Lower Township Committee has not yfet appointed anyone to the fivemember municipal Incinerator Authority the committee established last week, Committeeman Robert Fothergill confirmed Monday. Tbe authority's first meeting was tentatively scheduled Jan. 23 but “it wiH probably be postponed until the first or second week in * February," he said. No Parking CAPE MAY — School officials unanimously turned thumbs down last week on the city’s request to lease 2.5 acres of'sehool land, north of the Lafayette Street elementary' school, as a parking lot for 300 vehicles. Endorsed by-^ the city Parking apd Transportation

Advisory Committee, the plan was opposed by more than 100 people at public hearing on the request last month. $3,000 Raises COURT HOUSE — Cape freeholders unanimously voted themselves $3,000 annual raises last week — 25 percent hikes in the $12,000413,000 salaries approved in 1980. Arguing that Cape residents are the lowest paid in the state, 1883 Democratic freeholder candidate Georgette Bond-Shirley complained that the five part-Ume Republican freeholders will be making more than many full-time county employes. The raises, she said, come while the freeholders draft their "austerity budget.” In the Cetlaf TRENTON — Cape workers averaged $11,112 in 1982 wages, a 6.7 percent increase over their 1981 total pay but the lowest for tbe second consecutive year of the state's 21 counties, according to state Labor Department figures Statewide, the average 1982 pay was $17,837. Cape May finished in the cellar because of the number of seasonal employes here, a department spokesman said last week.

Slipping Atceigh AVALON — Borough counciImembers are considering an ordinance,' proposed at,their request by resort planners, which would ban floating homes and restrict to 35 the number of marina slips in town available for live-aboard boats. The recommended slip figure represents 38 percent of total slips and about equals the current number available