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Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 5 June '85

Mews Notes from The Wildwoods Thomas Parsons 889-0138

It's good to be back! Not that I nave gone anywhere over the past several weeks, but my column surely has The May 22nd issue of the flawless Herald saw my column under the banner of Middle Township News and vice-versa. It was doubly confusing as those who are acquainted with me are aware of the fact that Pat Riley. Middle Township resident of renown, has been a good family friend for many years. I received several compliments for penning the platitudes of Pat. but alas, the credit must go to Alan Morris, penman from the proud "Burg" of Middle. THE MAY 29TH issue of the Herald saw my column on page 65. Certainly tough to find in an issue of 64 pages! Typesetters' fault? No/certainly not; you probably would not believe that • „ old. over-used excuse anyhow May a curse fall upon my typewriter ribbon; I missed my deadline' Sorry for the interruption . I forgot the early "cut-off" for the Memorial Weekend issue. Oddly enough. I probably received more comment from readers through the confusion than when the article appears ! Is that a compliment? I've been trying very hard to convince myself that it is. WILDWOOD CREST S "G.I Joe" expert is having a special day today (June 5). Bobby Polis is celebrating his 7th birthday and is being feted to a pool party compliments of Mom and Day. Bob and Jennie Polis. Bobby's parents own and operate the Topaz Motel in Wildwood Crest, and his is a first grader in Mrs lagan's class at Philip Baker Elementary School. Also on the birthday list is Karl Unruh, first grader in Mrs. Koch's class at Philip Baker. Karl is the son of Barry and Sue Unruh of Wildwood Crest. Karl spent his birthday celebrating at McDonald's with friends. Both Bobby and Karl are active in the Greater Wildwood Tee-Ball program, where the Polis' sponsor a team and the Unruhs manage a team. That's nice... Happy Birthday, guys! IT'S A SPAGHETTI dinner and everybody is invited! The Wildwood Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star is hosting a spaghetti dinner at the Hereford Lodge Masonic Temple June 15. The Masonic Lodge is located at 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest There is plenty of parking and lots of good food. Fur- ' ther information may be obtained by calling 729-2913. ALSO ATTEMPTING to tantalize your tastebuds with a fund-raising offering is the Anglesea Fire Auxiliary. Their hoagie sale is slated for June 8 at the fire hall at second and New Jersey. "Hie price is right, as is the cause What better place to find Saturday's lunch... 522-4489 will get you more information and a place to order your snack. THE MEMORIAL Weekend seemed to be an ex-

t cellent "shot in the arm" for ; area merchants. As I was making my appointed rounds across the Island i over the weekend, what I found most evident was the impact upon all industries. I The boats were doing well, people were fishing, tourists were on the Boardwalk. and restaurants were busy. The grocery stores all had lines at the check-out and the convenience stores were busting at the seams. The motels were full, thea-ter-goers were abundant, club crowds were wellbehaved and, save for an occasional incident, all was well in the Wildwoods. An indication of a banner season9 Many think so. The economy is better... it promises to be a "Hot Time, Summer in the City" ( Remember that old tune? ), and the cycle indicating a good season is upon us. AN ADDED attraction this past holiday weekend was a trailer load of very tall men behing hauled around the Wildwoods. None other than Wildwood's Aces, the professional basketball team, hyping their sport via public appearance. It attracted attention and hopefully it will attract fans. In their opening game the Aces were cast up on the rocky shoals by the Hempstead team. Score: Hempstead 116, Wildwood 111. No doubt the season's first home game will tell a different story; the summer just has that positive ring to it! If you are interested in attending the Ace's game in Convention Hall, call 522-8877 for further information. WITH THE political season finally behind us, we can now all sit back and await the fall elections barely five months away. One of the most interesting elections to surface in November will be for the Assembly seat. RAYMOND BATTEN of Sea Isle City will be attempting to wrest the Assembly seat from former Wildwood Mayor Guy Muziani. The election is particularly intriguing as politically. Batten and Muziani sat on opposite sides of the political fence in Wildwood during the term of Earl Ostrander. Batten was city solicitor in the Ostrander administration, whereas Muziani was a frequent critic of the same. It should be a VERY interesting election. IN WILDWOOD CREST, things are settling in well as the new commissioners take office. New board appointments are being made and many past members have received their notices that their resignations were expected The new zoning laws in the Crest are producing some interesting results. It seems that the rudiments of another civic group is forming simply to address the assessments of affected property in the multi-family zone areas. Before the zoning changes, R-3 properties were assessed with several factors in mind. Now many of the existing properties are in "non-complying" use and several of the owners feel that as a result their proper -

r ty has been rendered less at- ; tractive and will seek relief I in the form of a new and I hopefully lower assess- [ ments. ! "f . While the election may be over, the 75th year of ex- ; istence for the Borough of Wildwood Crest promises to be most interesting. ON THE BUSINESS front. Bob Gerhart of Diamond Beach fame, must be complimented for his new "hot spot", CHEERS. It was indeed a pleasure to travel down Pacific Avenue and view the well mannered and well dressed crowds going into CHEERS. As the Wildwood endeavor to change their "bubblegum" image, Gerhart is stepping to the forefront and putting his buck on the line that says it will work ! Rarely is this sage business wrong, and many are hoping that his streak of "winners" Continues. While CHEERS may be an oasis for some this summer, many prefer the more sedate, more cerebral hangouts, and there is certainly none better than the Wildwood Crest Library, located oceanfront at 6301 Ocean Ave. Bill Smith, director of the facility, has announced the summer hours. In addition to being open Monday through Fridays 10 a.m. -5 p.m., the library will also be open 1-5 p.m., weekends and will re-open evenings, Monday through Thursday 6 : 30-9 p.m. I JUST HEARD that the Talley-Ho Motel and the Satellite Motel were recently sold. That brings the offseason total to an even dozen motels that have changed hands in anticipation of an excellent summer. While a dozen motels changing hands may not seem like earth-shattering news, it does represent a collective investment of over $15,000,000. That is a lot of zeroes and a lot of faith in the Wildwoods. I can't remember in recent years that many major facilities' changing hands. ANOTHER SURE sign that it is spring is the abundance of horseshoe crabs along the back bay and ocean beaches. It is that certain time-tested and instinctive season longed for by all horseshoe crabs - time to propagate the species. This time each year, literally millions sojourn to our shores in search of high sand to deposit their eggs, and just as regularly. I go on my annual "soap box" and sing their praises and chastise those who injure and malign the species. So it is this season, 1985. I shall not go into my usual long explanation of the merits and historical significance of this prehistoric and "unchanged by time" creature, as I am certainly my editor will not permit the degression (remember, he's the guy who wanted to ship the crab shells to some obscure rebel army in the Dominican Republic (plug) so that they could use them for helmets), but I will say, "Please show these harmless creatures some respect" and if you are interested in rearing more about this fascinating creature, visit the Crest Library.

News Digest (From Page 1)

1 to 5 on Monday through Friday and 8 f to 12 on Saturday. Cedar Square — at Last '■ SEAV1LLE — Construction is expected " to begin this month on the first phase of ' Cedar Square Shopping Center. It's been > planned since 1982 tor Routes 9 and 50 in this Upper Township community. The ; first phase of 59,000 square feet will include a Jamesway store, card shop, pharmacy, restaurant and bank, accord- ; ing to the developers, Cedar Square . Associated Ltd. ! Speed Limits {II I AVALON — Look for a dual (summer- ! winter) speed system in this borough. The state has finished its survey, according to DOT officials, and recommendations are expected to be 25 or 30 miles- ; per-hour limits in the summer and 30-35 I in the winter. In the meantime, no matter what the signs say and the police enforce, the county resolution covering Third Avenue (Ocean Drive) says 35 from the southerly borough line to 34th Street, 30 from there to 18th, and 35 from there to the northerly borough line. Speed Limits (2) STONE HARBOR - County freeholders last week adopted these speed limits for Stone Harbor Boulevard (Route 657) in Middle Township and this borough: Between Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway, 35; between the parkway and a point 2,000 feet west of the west end of the Great Channel Bridge, 50; between that point and the bridge, 40; on the bridge, 30; and from the east end of the bridge to Third Avenue (Ocean Drive),, 25. Bad News in the Mail TUCKAHOE — Upper Township property owners will be paying an average $232 more this year in local taxes thanks ■ to a 145 percent increase in the school f tax rate, residents found out in the tax bills that started to arrive last week. Despite a $3,450,000 donation from the 1 township, the tax rate jumped 52.5 cents ! for each $100 of assessed property value, from 36.3 to 88.8 cents. That's largely due to a $914,000 jump in tuition at Ocean City High School for 525 township | students. : Three Nominated DENNISVILLE — Dennis Township i Committeemen Albert J. Knoll and John S. Champion could decide, as early as next Monday's committee meeting here, who will replace Mayor Frank Murphy on the three-member governing body Murphy died of cancer last month. Since i he was aJJemocrat, and that party controls thewhunittee, the township Democrm^Club nominates three people I to replace Murphy The club last week nominated his son, Frank Murphy Jr., manager of the Court House Acme, carpenter F. Robert Tomlin and contrac1 tor John Barry Tracy Quits Union Post COURT HOUSE - C. Joseph Tracy has resigned as president of Local 1938, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, which represents about 700 county employes. He was appointed to the po6t about two months ago. Tracy, a clerk-typist in the Consumer Affairs Department since April 1984, said his letter of resignation cited no reason. Union officials, who have been trying to talk him into remaining, said it came because of the potential conflict of interest with Tracy's position as president of the Cape May Republican Club. Those posts, plus Tracy's position as a Democratic Bucks County (Pa.) commissioner 10 years ago, were reported by this newspaper May 22. Salary Set COURT HOUSE — County freeholders have set an $8,600 annual salary for Florence T. Hee's new duties as deputy clerk to the Board of Freeholders. That's in addition to her clerk -stenographer pay of $12,209 a year, according to the Personnel Department. Mrs. Hee, of Town ^ank, with the county since last July 30, took the post vacated by Diane E.

Rudolph when she became clerk to the board and county administrator Jan. 1. Missing Man Drowned AVALON — Searching the Maurice River in lower Cumberland County last Wednesday, state police divers found the body of John T. Tasso, 60, who has been missing from his 19 Street home here since last August. His body was located inside his 1982 Buick which was submerged seven feet near the Mauricetown Bridge. Tasso was last seen at 6:45 a.m. Aug. 10 as he left for work at Airwork Corp., Millville. Drowning was listed as the cause of his death. * American ' Humiliated SCHELLENGER'S LANDING - "American," the Lobster House schooner-bar recently replaced by a similar vessel, sank in shallow water at its moorings across from the restaurant over Memorial Day weekend when pumps failed and the schooner took on too much water. There was little damage, according to Lobster House owner Wally Lauderman. Awaiting a new owner, "American" served as a tourist attraction and cocktail lounge for 20 years. 17.5% Cut to 3.7% NEWARK — The state Board of Public Utilities granted New Jersey Water Co. a $1.3 million rate increase (3.7 percent) last week that will hike Ocean City water bills 10 percent and sewer bills more than seven percent Jan. 1. Middle Township water customers will pay 2-11 percent, depending upon usage. The company asked for a $6.1 million (17.5 percent) increase which was fought by the state Association of Fire Commissioners because of a projected 3.8 percent hike in hydrant costs. Sound Collision WASHINGTON - New Jersey ranked 26th among the states in the number of registered pleasure boats (140,884) but fifth last year in the number of boating mishaps (253), seventh in boater injuries (85), 23rd in 1984 deaths (18) and ninth in property damage ($675,500), according to recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Capt. William O'Conner, head of the state Marine Police, said last week he couldn't explain the high 1984 figures. Fluttering Fig Leaves VILLAS — Lower Township councilmen voted 3-0 Monday night to adopt anti-pornography Ordinance 85-11. It defines pornography according to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller vs. California and establishes an eightmember Community Standards Review Board to gauge local moral opinion and rule on whether questionable material meets that standard. Councilman Robert Conroy abstained on the vote "because I'm a little shakey on the legality of it." Councilman David F. Brand Jr. was absent. Council will consider a related zoning ordinance June 17. No Waivers VILLAS — Lower township council voted 2-2 Monday night on whether to again permit Planning Board rights to waive review of site plans for major building projects. Mayor Robert FothergiU and Councilman Robert conroy, both Planning Board members, voted for proposed Ordinance 85-8. Deputy Mayor Joseph Davis and Councilman Joseph Lonergan voted against it. Councilman David F. Brand Jr. was absent. The tie effectively kills the ordinance that passed 3-1 on first reading May 20 with Lonergan dissenting. - Fighting Rate Hike NORTH CAPE MAY - Lower Township's Federation of Senior Citizens has joined its state parent organization in fighting "the outrageous increase... being requested of the (state) Board of Public Utilities by the Atlantic Electric Co.," Rudy Jeschon, president of the local chapter, reported Monday. Also vice president of the state federation's southern region, Jeschon's calling on private and business consumers to battle the propsoed $91.9 million increase.