^ Herald & Lantern 19 December '84

News Digest (From Page 3) are "conservative, tight-fisted and frugal.' and that he objected to them being characterized as "extravagant " The city manager's job tops the list at $33,000 "to $46,658. Next are the police chief and the tax collector, each pegged between $27,000 and $38,150. Jobs: Bah , Humbug! COURT HOUSE - Mostly LPNs are among 63 employes receiving a dreary Christmas present from Burdette-1 jmlin i Memorial Hospital. They're to be laid off I by the New Year. The news corhes only two weeks after 630 union workers there agreed not to strike for three years, in exchange for annual raises up to four percent, plus immediate bonuses. Hospital administraiton blamed the layoffs on "funding cutbacks," citing a trend at other hospitals in recent years. Besides, nurses, others being laid off at Burdette include aides, orderlies, clerks and maintenance workers. Trench Warfare WILDWOOD CREST - Borough Commissioner Frank McCall called performance by the county MUA's sewerage contractor reckless and irresponsible and the MUA agreed with him, at least in part, last week. Borough and MUA officials said that Cruz Construction Co., the Holmdel firm with a $10-million MUA contract to install sewer mains in the Wildwoods, has used private property for workshop and storage areas, over-excavated sewer trenches on Jefferson Avenue and did poor jobs of cleaning up and re paving afterward. MUA and borough officials have threatened to shut the project down if the work doesn't improve. New Mayor WILDWOOD - Revitalizing the downtown business district and making the city attractive as a family resort are the top priorities of new Mayor Victor DiSylvester, who defeated Earl Ostrander by about 400 votes in last week's recall election. Sworn in last Wednesday, DiSylvester's term runs until July 1. 1987. Ostrander had been in office since July 1, 1983. "We must encourage investment into this community and get this town moving," the new mayor said, adding that he also wants some programs for senior citizens. Judge Sinks Sam COURTHOUSE — County officials and those in Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Cape May and at Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital here will be bargaining next month with Ralph Williams, trustee for Local 1983, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, rather than Sam Kelly, former busine^p manager for the local. Federal Judge John F. Gerry has decided that the union acted properly by placing the local in trusteeship this summer, the day before local members voted 292-75 to disaffiliate from the parent union. « Bridge Burned -y STONE HAKBOR — A repairman's acetyline torch apparently sparked the fire in creosote pilings on the Great Channel Bridge at 9 a.m. Friday. Fanned by strong winds, the blaze endangered workers and a 65-ton crane on the deck before being contained by 50 firefighters and rescue squad members from the borough and Middle Township. Construction superintendent Elwood Grim said the fire didn't damage the structure and won't delay tW renovation. (.ode Passes 4-1 VILLAS — Lower Township I

. J councilmen voted 4-1 Monday night to adopt an administrative code pending ( since the municipality changed from a i committee to a council-manager government July 1. Before the vote, Councilman Robert Conroy proposed to i change the code, permitting council to nominate members of the Planning Board. As published after introduction earlier this month, the code calls for mayoralty nominations with council approval. Conroy's motion was not seconded, however. He later voted against adoption of the code. Not Yet , Not Yet! NORTH WILDWOOD — A $4 million expansion of Morey's Pier hit a legal snag, with the city alleging that pilings were being driven before proper permits had been issued. That resulted in a stopwork order and notice of a $500 fine to ^)ier owner William Morey, while City Council was still mulling over his applications. The pier would be widened by 15 feet on the 25th and 26th Avenue saides to make room for new amusements and a wider central promenade. However, part of the land must be leased from the city, which is said to favor the project. Code Passes 4-2 OCEAN CITY — Council members voted 4-2 Thursday to adopt an administrative code that erffcands the resort administration from one department under Manager Joseph Kane to 10 departments under Mayor Jack - Bittner. Department heads will be hired and fired by the mayor with council's advice. With Councilman William Meis absent, Councilmembers Henry Knight and Jeanne Clunn voted against the code. Councilmen John Esposito, William Woods, Herbert Brownlee and Jack Jones, president, voted for it. Voters OK Purchase STONE HARBOR — Borough voters approved two ballot questions last week, permitting the local school board to buy two jots and a house adjacent to the elementary school on 93rd Street for $136,000 plus expenses. Residents voted 149-2| to okay the purchase and 148-21 to allow a board transfer of $145,000 in surplus to its capital outlay account. Trashy Details OCEAN CITY — Instead of awarding a single, city-wide contract for trash collecting as has been the custom, bids are now being solicited for three separate zones. Idea is to lower the cost. The new contracts will also permit residents to put out tied tree limbs not over 50 pounds, and require trashmen to clean up any messes they might cause. In recent years, the city-wide bid has gone to MarTee Contractors Inc., Rio Grande. Last Lunge? COURT HOUSE — Superior Court Judge James A. O'Neill fined Mount Holly lawyer Francis Hartman $750, ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service and pay $100 to the violent mimes compensation fund last week fOT attacking county Assistant Prosecutor Albert Telsey iiTceurt Oct. 31. Telsey was prosecuting, and Hartman defending, Wildwood businessman Louis Lambert who was found not guilty of weapons and theft charges last month. Hartman lunged at the prosecutor during an exchange of objections. Tico Indicted VILLAS — Mark Wiggins, 21, of Erma and Joseph W. Kurth, 24, of Rio Grande were indicted by county jurors last week for kidnapping two teenage girls here Aug. 17. Kurth is also charged with sexually assaulting the oldest girl, 17, and threatening to kill her. Wiggins is also charged with threatening to kill the younger girl, 15. Both men also are charged with conspiracy they are free on bail.

Bridge Use Limited — (From Page 3) down the island. There are 450 people. We're there. We exist." The county gave a four-part answer. © USING RECOMMENDATIONS from a four -year-old bridge study, it changed its 10-ton posting to five tons for two-axle vehicles, 8 tons for three-axle, and 13 tons for five-axle (see photo, page 3). © Using recommendations from a 11 -year-old study, the bridge unit of the county's Public Works Department was slated to start strengthening the bridge this week." County Engineer Neil O. Clarke said 76 four-by-ten-inch boards will be installed, 'Village ' (From Page 3) shops, but sources said most ot the leases had, in fact, expired. The Salvatores also had the expense of bringing in paid entertainers each weekend during the season. NEITHER THORNTON nor the Salvatores returned Herald-Lantern phone calls. The Salvatores left for Florida in their recreational van immediately after a formal signing of the documents giving the village to the county last Friday morning. At the freeholder meeting at which he announced the gift, Thornton said the county would appoint "a supervisor or director," assign one maintenance person to the village, do promotional public relations "in house, " and use county employes as necessary for grounds work, etc. Thornton pointed out that the county does not expect to make money on the village. He said negotiations for the gift had been going on for seven months. The Lower Township Zoning Board of Adjustment had subdivided the property into two parcels — the home residence and farmland and the village for commercial use — on Aug.8. THE SALVATORES last year began charging $1 a person admission, good throughout the season, which ran from Memorial Day to mid-October. The price, for children was 50 cents. There were many repeat visits on those season tickets, so an estimate of number of visitors is impossible. In accepting the gift, the county agreed "to hold Historic Cold Spring Village in perpetuity for historic preservation and park purposes. . .," the news release said. It also said the county "is. . required to use the village for educational programs beneficial to students and retired people." One of the covenants in the deed, which has not yet been made public, establishes a nine-member advisory board that will include the Salvatores, their descendants, or representatives of the family. MRS. SALVATORE, who oversaw the operations this year, said in the news release that the decision to give the estate to the county included discussions with her two children, Rick, 16, and Kate, 14. She said she hoped the freeholders would "continue and perhaps even improve the village," and "perpetuate a family dream of providing something to awaken the local interest in our history and heritage." The village includes a restaurant, ice cream parlor, and such crafts as blacksmith, tinsmith, candlemaker, weaver, candymaker, baker, printer, woodworker and dried flowers sales. Literature promoting the village called it "a reminder of a way of life that once was." It said the village's "purpose is to increase understanding and enjoyment of our historical heritage and to provide a focus for educational activities. During the course of a day, craftspeople are to be observed working at their various trades and giving lessons on a scheduled basis." Its weekend activities included everything from sheep shearing to square dancing, antique shows to art exhibits. THE VILLAGE never existed as one entity; buildings were brought to it from various locations. The hall of Cold Spring Grange No. 132 was the first of the structures to be acquired by the Salvatores and became the village's focal point. Other buildings include two old railroad stations, one from Woodbine one from Rio Grande; the octagonal William P. Taylor House from Cold Spring, the Philip S. Hand House from Tuckahoe, the John Finley Blacksmith Shop from Goshen , the David Taylor shop from Dennis ville ; the former Cape May Point jail ; the Nathaniel Douglass House from Town Bank Road; £e Marmora House now operated as a country store; the Howard Norton House from Dyer's Creek; the Dennisville Inn; the Spicer Learning House from Schellenger's Landing; and an early school house from Heislerville, Cumberland County. - * i

a project that, "depending on the weather, could take a month or two." © A reinspection of the bridge by a consulting engineer on contract to the state should take place this week. "He'll make some calculations and we'll be able to assign higher load limits," said Clarke. © Finally, a search party will be looking for state or federal aid for a new replacement bridge, a project that Clarke said would be at least two years down the road. IN THE MEANTIME, officials agreed that school buses would be permitted and, Clarke said, "We'll allow special vehicles like the phone company (seven tons) to go slowly and stay in the center of the lane." Connected to the bridge are gas and water lines. Connected to the bridge issue seems to be something less than adoration between Mayor O'Hala and the former mayor, Freeholder-elect Herbert (Chuck) Frederick. O'Hala said it was his understanding that Frederick raised the bridge weight issue. Frederick, present at the freeholder meeting, and Sturm denied that. O'Hala twice called Frederick a "contractor," and implied he, as mayor, might have been responsible for exceeding the limits. Frederick, a teacher at Wildwood High School who builds homes in the summer, told the Herald-Lantern he doesn't use heavy loads of material. MAYOR O'HALA resigned his police chief post under then-Mayor Frederick. Present chief Bradway was promoted to O'Hala's position. As a candidate for freeholder, Frederick chose not to run for borough commission (the commission selects one of its members as mayor) last spring. Five per- •' sons ran for three seats. The West Wildwood Republican Club, of which Frederick is president, endorsed three persons. O'Hala was not one of them. One erf the three, Harry J. Cusick, was elected. Publicly, Frederick and O'Hala say they have no problems, political or personal. The MUA also told Cruz Construction Co. of Holmdel, which has the sewer line contract, to "cease and desist" hauling fill to West Wildwood. It reportedly was going to property along the old railroad bed owned by John Altoonian's "Sandy Beach Salvage." Neither Cruz nor Altoonian returned Herald-Lantern phone calls. MUA Construction Manager Luke Chelius said Cruz is laying 10 miles of sewer lines in the Wildwoods and disposing of soil "unsuitable for backfill." Chelius said he understood that Cruz, which has until the end of May to complete the project, had "found another place" in Wildwood for the fill. THE BRIDGE'S condition has been no secret. It had been posted at 20 tons until a county -sponsored engineering study in 1973 recommended either 10 tons, or "remedial measures and 13," according to Clarke. The county took no remedial measures, but posted it at 15 tons. A second study in 1980 recommended it be limited to five tons. The county posted it at 10, which it had remained. "Everybody knows trucks have been exceeding the weight," Clarke told the freeholders last week. "But it's not a good thing, really." He said a house was moved across the bridge "many months ago." "Had we not acted," said Sturm, "the liability would be on the county." "We've all known for years the limits have been exceeded," said O'Hala, who added that he knew of only once that a trucker was arrested and fined. It was a Coca-Cola • truck, he said. County Ups Pay (From Page 3) I received the increase "based on his work ! load and expenses. He's done a tremendous amount of work for the county." Last April, Ash won a three-year reapi pointment to his post, at the $69,000 salary, > over the objections of Freeholder William ! S. Sturm and Thornton. I Sturm declined cpmmept last week, other 'than to say "It's Tony's J department." ) THE FREEHOLDERS made the point, r as they did in their April debate over Ash's duties, that part of the money goes for ofi fice space and secretarial duties. The » same secretary works on both county » business and Ash's private law practice. ] County personnel records indicate Ash ; has been with the county for almost 21 i years, starting in the prosecutor's office e and becoming counsel in 1971. His salary ; was raised from $50,000 to $69,000 in 1979. i The state Public Employes Retirement y system requires retirement at age 70 unless the governming body reportedly specifically approves an extension.