Herald & lantern 20 June '84 51

News Digest i From Page 1 » to replace Jeannette R. Babbitt as principal of the Richard M. Teitelman (middle) school. She'll return to teaching this fall. Summer Drive WILDWOOD — The county chapter of United Way will use three mail appeals in June, July and August in an attempt to „ get seasonal business persons to contribute "a portion of their summertime profits," vice president Thomas P. Byrne said last week. Thus this year's theme: "Cape May County Needs Everybody." The regular major fall campaign will get under way in October, when many tourism-related business persons are packing for Florida. No, No, No COURT HOUSE - With county Freeholder William E. Sturm Jr. voting "no" three times, the board voted 3-1 last week (chairman Anthony T. Catanoso was absent) to block off Shunpike'Road north of the county MUA waste transfer station, to authorize the county counsel to take legal steps to justify it, and to block the road by the time the station opens whether or not legal work is completed and permits obtained. Sturm said it was "a mistake" and "foolhardy" to make such a major change "to give a quiet, tree-lined street to three families." His colleagues said they "made these people bappy when we promised them this." Tax Revolt? CAPE MAY — An organization that calls itself "The Concerned Citizens of Cape May" has called a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. June 26, in the Kiwanis Building on Beach Drive to discuss local taxes. Among its complaints: "inappropriate assessments" and high school taxes.

Dueling Dumps WOODBINE — Superior Court's Appellate Division has denied the coutffy Municipal Utilities Authority request for a stay on a state Board of Public Utilities and Department of Environmental Protection joint order, allowing the Foundations and Structures landfill here to continue operations for another half1 year. The MUA argued that the lamjfill would compete with its nearby durMpsite Despite the competition, one MUA official reported last week that its dump has exceeded expected income since it opened May 15. Long Distance Runner / CREST HAVEN - One of Ihree inmates who hammered an escape through a wall at the county jail here in August 1978 was captured in Flagstaff, Ariz, on May 31. Although his fellow escapees were caught soon after the breakout, the fugitive, Griffith L. Gordon, assumed several aliases before his arrest as James Bridges during an Arizona traffic check. He had been arrested Aug. 6, 1978 for alleged marijuana possession in Wildwood Crest. J r Can't, Get There WILDWOOD — When the city widened to 60 feet and paved Lake Road, it became popular with motorists. But the traffic increase became unpopular with Wildwood Crest, where Lake Road continues on at 20 feet in width. So. the .Crest made the road one-way out of town. If both communities used that tactic on all adjoining streets, it could keep Crest traffic from entering Wildwood. and viceversSMtead this over again slowly. Three Killed RIO GRANDE — Two drivers were killed here and another in Cold Spring last Tuesday in collisions that also injured three other people. Suzanne Mitchell. 35, of New Mexico was killed when her motorcycle and a pickup truck crashed at Town Bank and Shunpike roads in Cold Spring. Jerry Brown. 18. of North Cape May, driver of the pickup, suffered minor injuries. Drivers John Conway, 18 of West Chester. Pa., and Margo L. Nicholas. 41 of Monroeville, Ala., were pronounced dead at the scene of their crash on Route 9 here. Nicholas' daughter. Gwendolyn. 18 and Conway's passenger. Howard Nixon Jr. of Lincoln University, Pa., were critically injured.

1 (From Page 1) Still, he added, he will ask the school board tonight to authorize the removal of 500 square-feet the substance from Lower Township Consolidated and Maud Abrams schools in Cold Spring. "My recommendation is that the Board of Education take $6, 500... and have that taken out this summer." Campbell said. Ocean City school officials have solicited bids to test the district schools for asbestos after the*school board reported discover ing it last month in 15 high school classrooms. "They just hid it," complained Jeanne Gorman, school board vice president, "They knew about it and they didn't know how to cope with it." "I made an inquiry seven or eight years ago," said AI Holden. an Ocean City high school English teacher. "Yhe main thing that I had inquired about was the auditorium. "It appeared to me that, if it (auditorium building material) was not asbestos, it has asbestos in it. " he added "There were some steps taken after I made some inquiries about it." SOME OF THE MATERIAL was coated or covered in the auditorium. Holden continued "That was done six or seven years ago Last fall, he said, he asked about abseslos again through the district teachers association "I was given an answer that tjiey ( school officials ) had had it checked and that, apparently, everything was okay "Now they have posted warning notices in all the affected areas. "Holden noted He said he was "very disappointed" with "a walk through" check on asbestos in the high school that was recently conducted He wants to see air quality samples taken . as well Some asbestos was removed from pipes I in the school, he stressed "and I don't even | think they < workers who removed it > knew I about it. "It's a dangerous material." Holden argued, calling for "more than a visual walk through" examination for asbestos One local school official questioned just how thoroughly Ocean City — and some of the districts that did not report asbestos in their schools — checked for the substance Lower Township and North Wildwood districts hired Rossnagel and Associates of Medford to determine the extent of asbestos used in buildings through air [ quality samples. But did the other districts do the same? the official asked MORE SOPHISTICATED sampling will I be done in Ocean City High School under I the pending laboratory test contract "that I the board is getting right now." said I Michael M. Subotich. district I superintendent "The board's building and grounds com I mittee has been working on this for about a I year," he added. "To our knowledge, the auditorium was checked." the superinten dent continued, noting that further tests " should determine once and for all whether " it contains asbestos. He dismissed Gorman's and Holden's contentions that the district has all but ig nored the asbestos problem for several years. "If people get off each other's backs, it

(asbestos removal) can be accomplished before September," Subotich said "We have no asbestos." Jane I) Turk ington, secretary for Lower Cape May Regional school board, said of the district's two secondary schools in Erma Asked how ttafdistric! found that out. she replied, "Tfliwas determined when the law first caHRout. I don't know how they determinetfl^" "Hie federal uvenunent. back in May. 1982, issued ^Bdelines for reducing asbestos exposXe," explained Kenneth Fedder, coufiy schools business administrator. Each school (^Bict in the country was then required tjBomplete a federal Environmental Prfl?ction Agency (EPAi form, outlining tflldistrict's inspection for friable, or deterBating. asbestos "Recently. wcSad a directive from the (state) DepartmMt of Education to collect these forms." Fnder added, noting that school districts &ave not been asked to report the arfjgunts of non friable abstestos in theMbuildings According togfie federal Toxic Waste Substance Agt. Bfcdistricts must only post areas where flnle asbestos has been detected and nodw appropriate parties such as schooflmployes and the local . PTA. said DantfKraft. chief of the EPA toxic waste sumBnces section in Trenton EPA officiawiinspect school district reports on asb^Ss but not the asbestos "AT THE i$VSENT TIME. Kraft said, "there into <EPA requirement for abatement ^asbestos control ore^ removal) " We have followed the directive of control C. from the state department." Dr. Theodore B Johnson, superintendent of Middle Township schools, said of absbestos found on 80 feet of pipe in the basement of Elementary ScbOol No 3 Although not required to do so,,- we covered it." he added "My board'^Kinon is. if we've got a pro blem. we'll A*with it," said Richard Veit. superifl^Berrt of North Wildwood schools. Linraj^Hmounts of asbestos were found in thejfivnyings of Margaret Mace Elementary BBol back in 1978. he added But there's "iwjfccd" to cover or remove the substanctyf'eit continued, "because there was no emission" above acceptable levels "Nothing has come to my attention that there's any problem with the schools -in Cape May County." John St Martin, secretary for administration with the Camden Diocese said of local Catholic schools which were inspected by the state. "If we detect it, the first thing to do is to post it." he added, referring to diocesan procedure for dealing with asbestos. "Number two — we want to take a sample and se^if it's friable." If that sample shows that the asbestos is deteriorating, diocesan school officials would then decide whether to remove or cover the material. St. Martin Said. While there are no laws on the books requiring asbestos removal, Kraft of the EPA said "there may be." A national union has asked the EPA to issue such regulations and "the agency, basically, agreed to consider these mat ters," he said, Public hrarings have and will continue to be held on the proposed asbestos removal regulations "It's down the road," Kraft concluded

HHmpr ■HMUH 1 Doris Ward SWEET AND JUICY — Louis De Garennes of West Cape May and Mike Peale of Cape May sample the strawberry shortcake at the 1775 Colonial House in Cape May last week. Proceeds benefited the Historical Society of Greater Cape May.

7 Schools Contain Asbestos

Information Solves Grime! 1^65-2800 Callers Remain Anonymous^ mm Reward m.

Wf cWL . ,, A B ■flHfer .fllHBw!? k Doris Ward AND THEN I CUT ... — Buckskinner Ray Bush of Easton, Pa., describes the detailed carvingjtin a walking stick to Scott Michener. 11, left, and his father, William, during a "Pioneer Days" open house at the Cape May County Historical Society in Court House last Saturday.