Cape May County Herald, 16 January 1985 IIIF issue link — Page 38

opinion_

Our Readers Write Middle Rescue Squad Lauded To The^Sditor: The residents of Middle Township are very fortunateto have two fine rescue squads to serve our community, The Middle Township Ambulance Corps and the Rio Grande Rescue Squad These volunteers give of their time, without compensation, and often times their family life is interrupted when a call goes out to respond to an accident, heart attack, or other emergency. While the Township of Middle contributes $12,500 to each rescue squad, this is a small price to pay for the excellent service which is provided our residents. In neighboring Lower Township, for example, their is a proposal to charge each resident a fee of from $70 to $100 each time an ambulance is needed. How can the average resident afford to pay such a fee I have to be concerned for residents on fixed incomes, residents w ith large families, and other persons who could not afford to pay this fee Volunteers are the backbone of a community and without trained EMTs and volunteer firemen, our society would begin to forget about our fellow man _ ._ IN 19X4, the Middle Tow nship Ambulance Corps in Cape May Court House responded to 400 calls and spent a total of 3,351 hours performing this volunteer service. In addition. each rescue Squad member must attend accredited classes maintain proper certification required by the State of New Jersey. We are truly fortunate in Middle Township to have this valuable service and I think every resident echos this feel ing. Sometimes we take a volunteer organization for granted. But when you see what is happening in Lower Township, maybe we all become more aware of how important and dedicated our Middle Township volunteers are. \ J CHARLES M LEUSNER Middle Township Committeeman 'I Said f d Try' To The Editor: Four years ago in November 1981 I was asked by the Cape May County Chapter of American Red Cross if I would be interested to work with the Coast Guard and other military' in the county, and also whether, as a volunteer, 1 would consider working with the after-hours emergency- telephone communication system which is very vital to the Red Cross operation. Of course I would have to accept some training and read approximately several telephone book sized piles of instruction, rules, etc. As a retired Sodal Security employe who had recently been separated from volumes of material explaining the mysterious and sometimes very puzzling laws, modifications of said laws, modifications of modifications of SSA, SSI, Disability, Medicare, and on and on, I approached this invitation with understandable timidity. However, a certain Gertrude Yesgosh who predsides over the complexities of the chapter office assured me that there^yvJfs really not much to it" in her usual quiet, ^hawnttlgmanner. I said I'd go with it and I was welcomN ed by the entire chapter personnel. And, even though I knew nothing about the Coast Guard Training Sation except that it was there, I walked in one afternoon with a Red Cross badge fastened conspicuously, so I would not be asked to leave. I HAD MY FIRST visit with the "troops" in the dispenserv. After some attemot at friendlv conversation (Page 39 Please) VRiSttY \ FubiMwd Ewry WritwiUy By Tb* Smivt Corporation B.Q. Baa 430 Cap* May Comrt Hoaaa. N-J. Joseph R. Zelnik Editor Bonnie Reina General Manager Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Darrell Kopp Publisher Saewova Cotp. 1984 Ail rights rasarvad. All proparty rights lor tha antira contanti of this publiiotion sholl ba tha property ol tha Sao wo vi Corp. No port haraol moy ba taproducad without prior writtan consent . DEADLINES News' & Photos Thursday Advertising. Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. 465-6055 For News or Advertising Information Nrtlhar porlirspntinjc ad.rrtiarr* nor ihr publi*hrr* of ihr HER AI.D AM! EASTERN -ill br mpunsiblr ur I for mi. information misprints. I^pianpliirt] rmm, rlr in an I t..u< llir rriitur rrvnr, ihr rijthl to r-riit U) Ulrr or nitidis .ubmrltrd for publication. /' ■oacar Io»etfkTp?~ V LANTERN T 1 \ ' PubUabad Evary Wadnaaday By The Seaweve Corporation J P.O. Boa 480 Capa May Cowl Ho—. N

Guess Whot Emma! The Presidential Campaign CH 1996 Has AIA*ody Storied1'

Encephalitis Scare At Budget Time? > To The Editor: In a Herald-Lantern article of Dec. 5, the dangers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis were discussed in light of the opinions of Dr. Wayne Crans, Rutgers University. I object strongly to the tenor of Dr. Crans' comments and find them misleading and misguided. The education of the public as regards this disease has historically in the county been conducted through the use of scare tactics and disinformation. This latest article proves to be no exception to this sorry state of affairs. I would like to dispel some of the erroneous notions raised through the years by the county and disseminated as fact to the public. They are as follows: 1. Human fatality from encephalitis is upward of 50 percent. False. 2. Brain damage always results in those individuals who survive the course of the disease. False. 3. Wholesale pesticide application is necessary to the control of the disease: False. I WILL TAKE these point by point. 1. Human fatalities from encephalitis are probably closer to 5 percent of those who contact the disease. The ratio of (Page 39 Please)

Expand Middle ^ Sewage Plant . To The Editor: With respect to the election of commissioners for the Middle Township Sewerage District No. 1 on Jan. 26. pollution is a serious problem for the District, and the issue for the candidates and voters. The district's plant appears to be over capacity at the very least in times of heavy rain and high seasonal ground water resultir*» in intermittent pollution of Crooked Moreover, there are a number of septic systems in use for commercial enterprises in the downtown Court House area which apparently are not working properly Something has to be done to eliminate the need to depend on septic systems and to eliminate the pollution of Crooked Creek in order to preserve the quality of our environment. I am glad that you have pointed out that rates will have to be raised. The anm&l budgets over the years have been bare bones budgets which apparently did not even adequately address maintenance needs. THE TREATMENT PLANT is in need of maintenance. Indeed, the current commission has recently moved to increase the frequency of sludge removal. However, more money will have to be spent in order to make up for lack of maintenance over the years. A simple conservation plan must be imposed by asking r everyone to install a simple washer-like device in every tap to reduce the flow from such taps by as much as 40 percent. Ground water infiltration must be eliminated from the collector system in order to make it watertight. This will eliminate a substantial amount of flow. The district's contract with the Cape May County MUA absolutely requires that we accomplish the rehabilitation of the collector * system in order to make it watertight not later than July 1, 1988, or we will breach the contract. The district sewerage treatment plant is licensed to discharge 340,000 gallons per day. The current physical capacity of the treatment plant is approximately 100,000 gallons. The physical capacity of the plant could be increased by as much as 240,000 gallons to a maximum of 340,000 gallons per day. Expansion would permit us to compel users with septic system failures to tie in to the collector system. Future development proposals within the district would, of course, be compelled to tie into the system as well. The expansion is not necessarily expensive and will not necessarily take a long time. Several campgrounds and mobile home parks throughout the county operate their own sewerage treatment plants economically. WHO PAYS FOR this? Only users of the district can be compelled to pay. Clearly, overdue maintenance, the sim(Page 39 Please)

j!-The Gray Is Coming Out — — 'Now Go Out and Get 'Em'

By JOE ZELNIK A number of readers have inquired why I wasted time and space moaning about my car and basketball prowess. Lest you think those columns were mere self-flagellation, let me assure you there were ulterior motives, which have proved successful. I have always maintained that this column is almost as well read as our classified ads. Response to those columns proved it. Several persons offered me good buys on their cars, the most notable an Avalon resident who suggested "a deal you can't refuse." I think he'll pay me if I drive aw^iy the '71 Buick (nicknamed the Ghetto Cruiser) that his college student son left parked in front of the house. The problem is, this has to be done surreptitiously since his wife is sentimentally attached to the car. The basketball column brought numerous challenges of games of 21 but. most intriguing, a Villas widow who used to play on Christian Street in South Philly has suggested we engage in a real rough and tumble basketball game / some night in the gym at Lower Cape May Regional. She wants it one on one, no holds barred. I'm still considering that one... MY BIGGEST NEWS this week is announcement that Connie Sands of Stone Harbor won my contest for a Herald-Lantern slogan for 1985. Connie, owner of the Sandpiper Art Galerie (plug) not only had the best idea, but the most. WShe submitted six slogans, several of which I mercifully will not repeat. But I do plan to forward to the freeholders her slogan, which she intended for Geraldine Ferraro's spouse, "Don't Connive in '85." I'm suggesting the county use this to replace, "Don't Throw It: Stow It." I ( Incidentally, another reader suggested a county slogan of, "If It Aint't Right. We Fix It." I don't understand that, do you?) Of our '84 slogan, "More in '84," one reader asked, "M<ye what?" More of everything, folks: advertising, new}, photos, to the tune of about 200 more pages in '84 than '83. I also made more enemies in '84. Connie's winning entry for this newspaper is, "Look Alive in '85." which won her dinner for two at her choice of one of several restaurants. She picked Henny's, apparently because she has heard a lot about it, but never been there.

WE'VE ALREADY taken a number of steps to "Look Alive in '85." Everyone here is getting more rest, drinking eight glasses of (bottled) water a day. and giving each other morning foot massages. j Since one's hair is a key to a lively appearance, I will be rinsing the gray coloring out of my hair and letting it return to its natural jet black color. I only dyed it gray when I came to this county in order to be accepted. Our research shows 73 percent of the men in the county have gray hair, and 94 percent of the women have blonde hair. The blonde hair comes from constant exposure to sea air ; the gray hair comes from constant exposure to blondes. I had found numerous advantages from gray hair, not the least of which was senior citizen discounts. But the biggest gain was a special treatment from other motorists. I no longer look left or right, but just barrel ahead and pull out into traffic. Younger motorists excuse me in the assumption I don't hear or see so well. THE KEY TO OUR "Look Alive in '85" campaign is the team spirit generated at our morning staff meetings by Gary Rudy, our advertising director who used to be the laid-back general manager at Murphy's Mart in Court House. Rudy gives a fiery speech on "successvisualization," success being a yearly contract. He concludes by leaping up on our lunchroom table and leading a series of aerobic cheers concluding with, "We've got the circulation! We've got the rates! Now go ' *out and get 'em!" Everyone then has a bowl of All-Bran -outanagei em: everyone i

cereal and goes: These meetings are a sight to behold. Each staff member wears the HeraldLantern uniform, a coat or sweater with the company logo, the Clydesdale horse (front, not back). In a secret ballot vote for comp a n y mascot, the Gydesdale narrowly beat out the camel. The Clydesdale apparently won because it is noted for^breeding and show. I am told, however, that some voted for it because it delivers (Budweiser) beer.

Herald-Lantern Logo