v^~ : i W| V CARE MAY I COUNTY 4^ *■ tUralfl - V

Vol. 20 No!l7iwi s>owov« co<p am right,

*' i • • '. „ , New Tests Find Lower Sodium Levels

By JOE ZELMK The latest tests of Cape May County's drinking water indicate sodium (salt) content in barrier island communities considerably less than reported by the countyHealth Department seven weeks ago. And three communities have learned x from their own sampling and testing that they were apparently correct to challenge the county's figures as too high. The original county sample was taken Feb. 28 and resulted in an alert to county doctors from county Health Officer Louis La manna that there was a 'serious problem" that physicians should take into account in treating patients on self -restricted diets.

The county did a resample that started on Mqrch 28. was interrupted by the storm 5 of March 29, and was concluded on April 4. TWO COMMUNITIES - Avalon and . Wildwood — and the New Jersey Water Co., which serves Ocean City, sampled right alongside the county and sent their ! own samples to their own labs. 1 Results of the county's tests are still be- ; ing analyzed by Stockton State College, but are considerably lower than in February, when many measured higher than 100 i mg/1 (milligrams per liter). The state says 50 mg/l is the maximum > allowable level and requires doctors to be warned if the sodium content is higher. The physician-recommended maximum I level for persons on low sodium diets is 20 J mg/1.

1 JACK - NOVODOFF, director of the i acadt.nic laboratory and field facilities at Stockton State College, said that, of 70 1 samples, the sodium counts ranged from 8 to 65 with "not many over 50." I He was unable to specify any by community since the samples come to him identified only by numbers, a "double blind" to assure integrity of the testing. Novodoff said he could not explain the large difference between the two tests. I "It's very difficult to speculate why the results differ," he said. AVALON'S SAMPLES, tested by Elson T. Killam Associates of Millburn, showed these sodium levels: well No. 7, 41.8: well ' No. 6, 60.8: well No. 8, 31.8; and well No. 3,

52.2. And samples taktn from the distribution system: 250 66th St.. 42; 4125 Fourth Avenue, 60; 278 29th St.. 31.4; 1421 Ocean Ave., 50. Thus Avalon's wells averaged 46.65 and its distribution system 45.85. That compares to 85 and 104 in the previous county tests. •"■"T Avalon Mayor Rachel Sloan said she would reserve comment on the latest ^results, but is "anxious to see what the county comes up with this time." BILLY CABINESI. manager of the New Jersey Water Co. in Lin wood, said its test lab in Greenwich, Conn., reported e 29 4 sodium level for Ocean City well at North and Atlantic and 30.1 for the well at 35th (Page. 22 Please)

News^ Digest ^Stories The Hy-Land Solution COURT HOUSE — The sewer line running from the Romney East subdivision to the Hy-Land Motor Inn was disconnected last Saturday afternoon, according to Ray Herman, Middle Township Sewerage Commission engineer. Herman said two lengths of sewer lateral and a cleanout were removed by Palermo con- . tractor F. Wayne Shawl who originally laid the lines for/motel owner Thomas J. Repici. Herman said the line was removed from the approximate location of the future curb line to 20 feet southeast, and plugged at both ends. The commission ordered the closure April 11, saying it never gave permission for -the connection. Cape May Solution CAPE MAY — City council is scheduled to take final action May 8 on an ordinance, introduced last week, that would more than double patio fees for some restaurants along the Washington Street Mall. Currently, restaurant operators pay $20-a-front-foot with a $400 maximum annual fee. If the proposed ordinance is approved at the public hearing, the operators will be assessed $3 a square foot instead. A restaurant with a 28- by 10-foot patio, for example, would see its $400 fee raised to $840. The Windrift Solution ? STONE HARBOR — A special meetinr of borough council will be held at 8 p.m. Friday to discuss a proposed ordinance to limit parking "in order to lessen the problems associated with the operation of the Windrift Cocktail Lounge." The Windrift is located at the beach and 80th Street, in Avalon, bordering Stone Harbor. The borough proposes to prohibit parking from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. from Second Avenue to the beach on the north (Page 22 Please)

■Tulip Festival -i

1983 Tulip Queen Anne Reagar ir.JDutch lace cap looks forward to this year's tulip festival in Cape May. See Special section inside.

|pj m 1 EASTER FINERY — Suzanne Cavalier of Wildwood, left, and Petronella Van Berry of West Cape May were among the prettiest showing their Easter finery Sunday. Suzanne is the 3-year-old daughter of Mr.

• and Mrs. Joseph Cavalier ^ "Pet" i 11 -year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Van Berry , and won first prize in the 11-14-year-old category in Cape May's Easter Parade.

Bridge Opens on Time, But Wait'll Next Year

STONE HARBOR — Many detour signs remained in place this week and yellow blinking lights continued to illuminate signs that warned 'BRIDGE OUT.' But in fact, the great Channel Bridge connecting * this borough and Middle Township opened last Friday afternoon — on schedule, as promised. < . That's about the only good news. The bridge is bumpier than it was when it was closed in January, the speed limit over it will be dropped from 30 miles per hour to 20, and the weight limit will be reduced from seven tons to five tons. That's because what little work did take place during the last three months gaveWficials a closer look at the bridge and led to" their conclusion that it is "fairly unsafe," according to James Mott, principal engineer with the Cape May County Public Works Department. Officials indicate that five-toe limit will be strictly enforced. The reconstructed bridge will have a 20-ton limit. FOR STILL WORSE news, wait'll next year. Because of the contractor's late start, and because of the refusal of the borough and township to extend this year's . April 20 deadline, some sources are talking about the bridge being closed from next Oct. 1 to Memorial Day of 1985. Jon Wall, project engineer for the contractor, Raymond International Builders of Houston, Tex., said this week that only 10 percent of the reconstruction job is completed, compared to the planned 25 19999

As a result, he said, "We will definitely run over next year." Bob Hovick, principal engineer with the state Department of Transportation (DOT), said he estimated the job was 15 percent completed. The $3.5-million job was supposed to be divided into two six -month work periods so that the tourist flow into Stone Harbor wouldn't be affected. The first stage was to run Oct. 15 to April 20, 1964; the second. (Page 22 Please)

\ Gypsies I Stripping Belleplain? COURT HOUSE — Cape May County Planning Board voted last week to urge the state to spray against the gypsy moth in Belleplain State Forest. John MacLeod, a board member and senior county agent with the Extension Service, asked Planning to act because the 11,678-acre forest is "going down the drain "Over 9,000 acres, 81 percent, are defoliated," said MacLeod. "For God's sake, let's not let the forests die." "I don't understand his statement," said v TJjomis. Keck, Belleplain superintendent. •"'The leaves aren't out now anyway." "I THINK JOHN is being extreme, " said Sydney Walker, regional superintendent of >. parks and forestry of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Jim Staples, DEP public information officer. said the agency's policy is that "it's better nature should take care of itself. "Habitually, DEP has not sprayed for the gypsy moth on state park land because that kills other species," he said. "When you aerial spray, you kill everything else too. In an ideal situation you have to keep a few gypsy moths alive in order to provide ••• "iw.1 w pj u nut-

food for species of other insects. Frequently. spraying results in a bigger growth of the gypsy moth population. "It's an ongoing dispute," Staples conceded. THE PLANNING BOARD vote was 5-0 with chairman William J. Diller Jr. and Frederick A. Long Jr. abstaining on grounds they lacked adequate information. Ruth Fisher, in the audience, said she objected to the board voting on an issue not (Page 22 Pleaoe)

Dems Tap Bieberbach , Downs

By E. J. DUFFY COURT HOUSE — Lower Township Mayor Peggie Bieberbach and Middle Township businessman Rodney Downs will take on GOP freeholder candidates in November, county Democratic chairman James Iannone announced yesterday. Wildwood Police Capt. Ralph Sheets will make a return engagement against Sheriff Beech Fox, and Ocean City Patrolman James Pious is, the Republican-supported challenger to Fox's sixth term. Bieberbach, who won reelection to her . third three-year term in November, will be out of office July 1 because Lower voters also approved a change in government from a committee to a council-manager system last fall. Tbe mayor decided not to

run for one of the five council seats in the May 8 township elections. "IJVO SEATS on the five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders are subject to election this November. Republican < Freeholder Gerald M. Thornton of Lower Township is running for his third full term but GOP Freeholder Director Anthony T. Catanoso of North Wildwood bowed out of the race. Downs and Bieberbach will face Thornton and whomever Catanoso, as campaign manager for the regular Republican slate, taps as his replacement. West Wildwood Mayor Herbert Frederick, Wildwood Crest Commissioners Frank McCall and Charles Guhr notified county Republican chairman Philip A. Matalucci of their interest in cY*\\V {page a Please)