f Herald & Lantern 2 January '85 16 • 'm — — — —

Mill Creek Bridge — * (From Page 1) I'D LIKE TO SEE something get started in 1985 before they set up a historic district there.-' County Engineer Neil Clarke of Seaville told the Board of Freeholders recently "It's horse and buggy days. It's served its usefulness." That prompted a kibitzer Jo interject: "We oughta tear it down and give it back to them It would serve them right." "Don't say that," Clarke replied. "At least we've finally got them talking to us up there " The old bridge is 15 feet wide from ttirb to curb, and can hold about five to seven tons. That's all right for cars, but not trucks and fire engines, the county says. Then why don't fire engines and trucks stay off the old bridge? says the preservation society. "They could avoid it. There are other streets they could use," said Virginia M. Wilson, of harmora, the society's president "We feel it would be a shame to have the bridge taken away." MRS. WILSON POINTS OCT that most traffic through town goes down Route 49 anyway. Marshall ville Road is just a little parallel side street that runs about a mile and three-eighths, then rejoins Route 49 between this town and Tuckahoe. . But county engineers envision a brand . new bridge that could carry 20 tons per axle. to accommodate trucks and fire engines. i "I'm sure it's the oldest bridge in the county, and it's structurally deficient," said engineer James Mott of Ocean City. "The steel trusses have rusted and weakened with age." - ? " Last month, however, the engineers met with Mrs. Folger and some of the other townspeople, including a representative of the .first department and the township committee. Nothing was decided

- First Duty: Raise Rates; Want to Run for Commissioner?

COURT HOUSE — WANTED: Five per sons to serve on a ndw Middle Township Sewerage Commission — and immediately raise rates. The present two-member commission (the third, Michael Vistenzo, resigned in November) came up with a tentative $54,577, 1985 budget last Wednesday, but will be forced to pare it $1,000 by Jan. 9 to no more than 1984 revenues, according to John L. Ludlam. solicitor. The 1984 budget was "too close," according to members, knd there is no doubt the new commission, which takes office Jan. 3(^ wtfl be revising it upwards and raising rates. Persons interested in running for the non paying job can get petitions from Secretary Helen B. Westcott, 132 Mechanic St., and must file them with the board clerk, here husband, LeRoy, by Monday, Jan. 7, with at leaSj 10 signatures of •' qualified voters in the district. LIST OF QUALIFIED voters also are available from the Westcotts. Leroy Westcott, board member since 1965, told the Herald-Lantern he will seek reelection. The other current member, John M. Ludlam, who has served since 1957, told the Herald-Lantern he didn't think he would run. The board was criticized by a grand jury last fall for failing to operate in a "professional or business-like manner." The election will be held from 1 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at a place still to be announced. The current board will approve its budget at a meeting Jan. 9. and hold its regular (and last) meeting on Jan. 23. The new board will organize on Jan. 30. Regular meetings are held at 4 p.m.

every fourth Wednesday in the township building. ' AMONG BUSINESS left over for the new commission in January: An application from Vincent Mustico to convert a private home at 113 S. Main St., to a 36-seat restaurant. A letter accompanying that application said sewage flow would increase 120 gallons a day, from 600 to 720. The commission couldn't vote on that since Ludlam disqualified himself because he is doing the title work for the purchase

of the properly. He termed that "a potential conflict of interest." That left only one member, Westcott, available to vote. Realtor Thomas J. Repici, representing ' Mustico, asked if the board would vote on the permit if Mustico took his title search business elsewhere. "That wouldn't solve the problem," said Solicitor Ludlam, who smd the current board would ask the new board to take up the matter at its Jan. 30 reorganization meeting.

Barnabas House Fills the Void

( From Page 1 ) don't know what were doing," Mr. Ricketts said. j \ "Another assumption is that you're supposed to help, like the woman who walked in here one night and said, 'Where's my room^' That's not why we're here," he said. "We're not a rescue mission, although we perform some of that function. We're not a flophouse "We help people through the crisis, to help them to learn some of the fundamentals of coping. We're a transitional family". THE MISSION is located in a concreteblock building across from the tiny Angel Visit Church near Susquehana Avenue, towards the bay. « "We do encounter prejudice by people who won't stop in to see for themselves who we are. because this is the black community But this is not only the safest, but the quietest street in Wildwood." Mr Ricketts said. "I have heard some really interesting stories about who we are by white folks who don't come here," he laughed. The minister, from Tacoma. Wash., and i his wife. Eileen, a native " of North Wildwood. met while they we*.( attending Clearwater i Fla. > Christian College. She is also a 1964 graduate of Lower Township High School. They were married in 1967 at Central Bible Church. 18th and Central Ave., where Mr. Ricketts became pastor in 1973. He also graduated from Biblical Seminary in Hatfield. Pa.i "During the next couple of summers. 1 started to become involved with the Boardwalk Chapel and began to see the need for dealing with street people." said Mr. Ricketts. "My first experience was a 16-year-old kid who withdrew from PCP. He was on an 8- to 10-day jag with PCP and alcohol. Aroifhd '77 or '78, we started looking around to see where we could have a house, and have other people helping us," he said. " "The Boardwalk Chapel did not have a place for people to come to, to stay, to live. There were several people who stayed a couple of nights in the basement of the (Central Bible) church,1' he said. The Boardwalk Chapel and several other local ministries operated only during the summer, leaving a void the rest of the year "It's pretty hard to be very destitute here in the^ summer." said Mr. Ricketts. "You can always sleep on the beach and" find some kind of summer work. "Christian Services Associates, known on the street as Ghristian House on Maple Avenue, that place feeds the street people in the summer There are many people

who eat there, (who) trade their food stamps into drugs." Mr. Ricketts said. So Barnabas House fills the void in winter, he added. "We offer food to anybody who needs it. Just give us a call an hour beforehand, so we have time to prepare it." Mr. Ricketts has been running the mission full-time since he resigned his pastor's job in October, 1981, to devote all his energies to Barnabas House. He said that local clergymen, including himself, had been praying for several years for someone with vision to do just that. There are still some weeks and months when Mr. Ricketts has difficulty making ends meet, he says, but for the most part, things manage to even out somehow. "We haVe continued to receive help from Central Bible; they hold a mortgage on this property for $40,000, and in turn, we pay the mortgage on their parsonage," he said. "There have been individuals in dozens of churches in the county that have been supporting qs on An individual basis," he said. None of the churches have been opposed to us — ever. We're known on the street." To feed the hungry, Mr. Ricketts drives to the Philadlephia Food Bank, a nonprofit clearing house, to pick up food donations contributed by firms such as Oscar Mayer. Acme Markets, and Strohman Bakeries. As for the street people who become residents of Barnabas House. "They are expected to Tind jobs, and they do work at the house, too, but we can't pay anybody, and most of the people don't have afty professional skills, like carpentry." Mr. Ricketts said. "We ask $35 a week as counseling fee. and $17.50 a week for food. That's $52.50 a week total," he said. "Say. if a person makes only $60 a week, that wouldn't leave him much, so in that case, we'll ask two-thirds (about $40). If a person is on welfare, We'll accept twothirds of that." he added. Among area churches that have been lending support to Barnabas House are Rio Grande Bible Church, West Wildwood Union, Green Creek Community, Crest Community. Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian. Wildwood. First Baptist in Court House. Calvary Baptist in South Seaville. First Assembly of God in West Cape May. Cape Christian Fellowship in Court House and Green Creek, and Joyful Noise in Court House. Is there anything the Barnabas House needs now? "Yes. towels, washcloths, single . fitted sheets, pillow cases, tooth paste, tooth brushes and shampoo." Mr. Ricketts said. "Towels and washcloths disappear very quickly." *

Blomkvest: 'We Need Help Note'

. (From Paget) "This keeps going on and dragging further and further," Blomlcvest complained Dec. 20. "We need help now." Sturm explained that the county has applied to the state for a "stream encroachment permit" and has asked its state legislators to see if some "flood plain bond issue money" might be available. One catch in that idea is that projects have to be designed to withstand the hypothetical "100-year-storm" and that would mean Seashore Raod would have to be raised six feet, sturm said. In answer to a question from Blomkvest. county enginer Neil O. Clarke said the cost of the project was estimated at "a little less" than the mayor's suggested $400,000 to 450,000. "The city is willing to put up some of the money,!' said the mayor. We'll throw $25,000 in the pot. We feel its that serious. Sturm pointed out that he had written the four affected communities — Cape May, Lower Township, West Cape May and Cape Ma* Point — and asked respectively, for $25,000. $5,000 $5,000 and $3,000 "as a gesture of good faith." "I haven't heard from the other three," said Sturm. That;s because "the other three," with the possible exception of West Cape May, think it's either a county pr a Cape May problem. "I want a deadline," said the mayor. "The board would be reluctant to fund the entire thing because of the unknowns, " said Sturm. "Unknowns?" asked Blomkvest. "The magnitude of the job when we start tearing out the old," explained Sturm. Blomkvest and Sturm fenced for a few minutes about whether one couldn't learn the cost by bidding the project Finally, Blomkvest said, "Apparently the majority of the board is not willing to do the project? What if < state ) grants don't come 'through? These four communities pay into the county kitty and we need help. We're not up here every spring asking for help." BJomkvest turned to Freeholder Gerald M. Thornton: "Gerry," he said, "you represent the lower Cape Mays." "I represent the entire county." interrupted Thornton. "How doyou feel?" persisted the mayor. "I've made my position clear for sometime," siad Thornton. "Something has to be done. I was never invited to any of those meetings. I have to ask, where did $25,000 come from for this $400,000 project" "I've never been consulted on it," said Freeholder James S. Kilpatrick Jr. "You fellows didn't want* to finance the entire project," said Sturm. / "That's correct," said Thornton. "I wrote the others to get some money." said Sturm. "The ' problem transcends municipal lines. It is regional. And it can be done by the county." Thornton and Sturm then bogged down in a discussion on what percent the county would pay if it received a hypothetical state grant. "Hasn't this been going on for months, and we still don't have the answers?" Blomkvest. "If you don't have a grant," said Sturm, "how can you strike a percent?" "Who's going to go to Lower and West Cape May them straightened out?" asked Blomkvest. The freeholders smiled. "A few more months isn't going to amke ^that much difference." said Freeholder Director Anthony T. Catanoso. who has two weeks left in office. "We've got to put our percent in the budget." said Blomkvest. "Aren't you going to put your percent in the budget?" "I agree we have to determine our percent," said Thornton. "Some of those communities can't come

up with that kind of money,""said the mayor. * "The municipalities have a bonding capability," said Thornton. "The pipe is in your jurisdiction. We can't determine who put it in. We're not sure the municipalities will agree to have a responsibilty." "The county originally applied for the % permit," said Sturm, going back 57 years. "We can't do a damn thing with it," said Blomkvest. "We're not going to spend $400,000 to drain another community's wetlands," an apparent reference to Lower Township. "When you mention money, everybody backs off," said Sturm. The freeholders agreed to invite the four municipalities to their caucus meeting of Jan. 17. Blomkvest wasn't finished. He said the city has a drainage problem on Pittsburg Avenue (a county road) where some of the Village Green development streets intersect: "Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia..." "We would like you to put some monev/fn the budget to striaghten that out," he said. ! The mayor said he also has a problem on \ Madison Avenue where the storm' drain "telescopes from Bach Dri've to Washington Street. "We've asked fofvit to be enlarged," said Blomkvest. "We had« commitment from Jack Bittner." One could see the freeholders trying to recollect Jack Bittner, freeholder until. 1982. ' I U And. the mayor said, he also had /a drainage problem on Lafayette. V. "We didn't develop this area," said Freeholder Ralph W. Evans, a builder. "The developer caused the problems. The county isn't responsible." "Doesn't somebody hzf?e the responsibility to drain county roads?" asked Blomkvest. "Don't you drain other other county roads?" "Not if it's caused by a developer or the city," said Evans. "Then the county planning board shouldn't have approved the development," said Blomkvest. Catanoso suggested the city's representatives "sit down with our engineer." Sturm suggested that, since the county also has road work along Ocean Drive and in Dennis and Upper Townships, it "lump all this together in a bond issue." Thornton's eyebrows raised about four inches. "We'll be back in six months," said Blomkvest. "You gotta have faith, Mickey," said Sturm. Wells Polluted ( From Page 1 ) Herald-Lantern phone calls. La manna, on vacation, was reached at home. LAM ANN A SAID the department was alerted by complaints of "funny tasting drinking water" si* or eight weeks ago. He said the "lab turnaround time" at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in Trenton took that long. "How 'extensive this is remains to be seen," said Lamanna. "We will survey the whole area." Leusner said he understood that private wells on Atlantic Avenue also will be tested and, if the water is polluted, the public line will be extended there, also. » - Lamanna said the department has no idea on the source of the chemicals, which Leusner described as "toxic waste carcinogens." "Someone in the area was using these chemicals sometime," said Lamanna. "This is coming home to roost," said Leusner. "Here we are in the center of town. How many other places are there? This was put there by human beings. I can't understand it."