Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 2& |unt '85

69

News Digest (From Page l)

Ball Brawl Call WILDWOOD — Solicitor Bruce Gorman filed charges for the city school board Monday against a teenager and an adult allegedly involved in a brawl after a May 31 varsity baseball game between Wildwood High School and St Joseph High School of Hammonton. CapeAtlantic League officials were expected to finish a hearing on the incident yesterday and take the findings under advisement. Played at Lower Cape May Regional's field. Erma, the fight between players, parents and coaches followed a 5-2 Wildwood victory over St. Joseph. Roads Promotions COURT HOUSE - Harry A. Gilbert, a Cape May City councilman, was promoted from county superintendent of bridges to country road supervisor by the-Board of Freeholders last week. He repJaees Leroy Reeves of West Cape /May who resigned under fire in April. \ Edward J. Ayers of Erma went from .assistant road supervisor to the bridges / position. Both are five-year terms. Their 1 salaries? Watch this space next week. Mowed Away ERMA — Somebody stole a $7,831 state tractor with its $2,240 mower last week from a group of four vehicles parked off the southbound passing lane of the Garden State Parkway near milepost 3.3., state police report. Both were white with round green and yellow Parkway emblems. The Case tractor (Model 1194, No. 11039806) had brown and yellow stripes, red wheels and black supports for a green metal umbrella. It was equipped with a hydraulic lifting cylinder for the mower. The mower is a Wood's Cadet Model 84 rotary, with a seven-foot blade housing (No. 0014326). Call 296-2031 or 465-7386 with information. 9-Car Crash OCEAN CITY — Monroe Palzer, 33, of 935 Bay Ave. was charged with reckless driving last week after the car he was driving along Central Avenue crashed into a parked car, setting off a nine-vehicle collision 2:15 a.m. June 19, police reported. Four vehicles were totaled, according to police. Firm Commitments ERMA — County freeholders last month voted to join with the Port of Salem in filing a federal application so the county airport here might become part of Salem's proposed duty-free trade zone; that plan was to cost the county $15,000. When it made it to the federal level last month, a U.S. Commerce Department official said he never heard about the plan and that it probably won't fly anyway. The county's still interested in the idea, though, A.H. Childs, county Economic Development director, said last week. But it should get firm commitments from businesses before establishing an airport trade zone. Park Fee Irks Locals WOODBINE — Parking rates at Belleplain State Forest have been raised from $1 to $2 per day and $2 to $3 on weekends, much to the dismay of local residents. Tom Keck, park superintendent, said increased fees were more than fair, considering park services. Some visitors have tried to get around the increase by arriving before the toll stations open or after they close. Lawyer Sues Podiatrist WILDWOOD — Lawyer Alan Gould, president of Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital's board of directors, is suing

Marc B. Klein, a former Northfield podiatrist. Gould is charging that Klein performed "negligently, carelessly, and recklessly" when treating Gould for an ankle injury two years ago Gould said he suffered burns after Klein applied solution to his ankle and wrapped it. Gould's wife. Joyce, is also a plaintiff in the suit. She said she was deprived of her husband's "consortium and service" after his alleged injury.

Commission 's Birthday Cake

(From Page I) protest. WITH THE PRIOR commission's record of poor business practices hanging over its head, this commission has been meticulous in its efforts to do everything properly and legally. As a result, meetings at 4 every third Tuesday that might normally take an hour are lasting four times as long as every "i" is dotted, every "t" crossed. But if the meetings are slow, the commission has shown it can learn fast how to survive bureaucracy. When the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) sent a form letter warning that the plant was at capacity, the commission replied using some of the same language to indicate it shares the state's concern and is doing everything possible. THE MEMBERS are paid nothing although DeVico receives $440 a month, the same as her predecessor, Helen Westcott, as clerk. Attorney Carmen Alvarez took the solicitor's job for the $1,602 a year the previous commission put in its 1984 budget. Considering the hours Alvarez isputting in, she's making about a tenth of her normal fees, she has said. Although three of the commission members — Chairman Albert Karaso, Phil Heck and DeVico — ran on the same "slate," each member (the other two are Thomas M. Mills and James G. Killian Jr. ) appear independent. THEY ALSO SEEM as meticulous as brain surgeons and as nitpicking as newspaper editors. They're also cheap — "chintzy" was the word Heck used after an endless debate about how much to spend on a lifesaving gas mask. A good example of those traits came at last week's meeting when the commission took 25 minutes to decide to approve a request by Mrs. Joyce Hoffinan to convert a three-bedroom house to' two apartments with one bedroom apiece. That should mean a decrease in sewage but, saddled with a sewage plant capacity of 100,000 gallons a day and a sewage flow averaging 109,000 in May, they put enough conditions on their approval to do everything but limit the number of times one can flush. It was Mrs. Hoffman's second visit to the commission. She gave a loud sigh when it was over. "Thank you for your time," she said. "Otherwise I'd have had to put up a 'for sale' sign." THE IMPRESSION IS. then, that Cape May Court House now has a hard-working, conscientious, scrupulously honest sewage commission. " The next step should be obvious: ' township committee will probably abolish ' it shortly. I "That is a possible alternative," said Committeeman James Alexis last week, ' "but it's not in concrete." I Alexis, in charge of Public Works, said 1 the' matter is being "researched" by ' township Solicitor Bruce Gorman, « township Engineer Alvin C. Herman, and < auditor Ralph W. Dreby of Cherry Hill. < Herman was engineer to the previous commission briefly, but turned down ap- * pointment to this one because he's f township engineer and the Committee told him that'could be a conflict of interest. It c was never made clear why the same con- t flict didn't threaten in the previous term. Gorman was reminded that he had said r a year , ago, when people began taking c shots at the former sewage commission r and the township committee didn't want to e get in the line of fire, that it was "a totally S independent entity" over which "the township has no direct jurisdiction." s "That's true," Gorman said last week. "The only jurisdiction the township has is, n it can abolish it." He quoted a "new s statute" of November, 1983. In other words township committee c could have abolished the former commission, but didn't.

Why, them, would it abolish this one? The official answer is efficiency. The real answer may be control — of the key to who grows where. "Would it make sense to have five (sewer) districts, each with its own maintenance and billing?" asked Mayor Michael Voll. The township already has sewage districts in Court House. Avalon Manor and Stone Harbor Manor, it is pointed out, has said it wants to provide service in Rio Grande, and is negotiating with Lower Township to serve the Del Haven-Green Creek area. All of these districts eventually will connect to the countywide Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) "which has a townshipwide impact," said Gorman The MUA is responsible for regional sewage treatment plants and lines from those plants, but lines to individual homeowners will be a local responsibility. That will cost money and presumably involve financing, bond issues, etc. Gorman said his research indicates there could be an elected commission, or an appointed authority, as in Lower Clearly the Middle Township Sewage Commission No. 1, picked from an electorate of 427 users, cannot represent a township of 12,000. Voll has suggested the possibility of an elected board, one from each of the five "districts" plus two at-large. "Or," Gorman added, "they (the committee) could bypass both (the commission and authority) and do it all on eir own." The committee appears to rely heavily on Construction Official Michael Vistenzo. He served on the prior commission, resigning before he was invited to do so in the aftermath of the critical grand jury presentment. In those days, Vistenzo was underestimating the sewage plant flow by about 40,000 gallons a day (he said it was about 60,000, instead of its actual 100,000 average). His point of view apparently remains the same, as indicated by this exchange: At a recent work session in which a controversial nursing home was trying to enlist committee support for a sewer connection, Voll asked Vistenzo, "It's just a little extra sludge?" "It's not a big deal," Vistenzo answered. Alexis told this newspaper he expects a decision on the sewage commission "by the end of July." But the commission, ax poised over its head, continues to plug away It spent a half-hour last week looking at two maps and trying to determine what the district's boundaries are, what the boundaries should be, and how the heck they can "plan for the future" without knowing them. Commission engineer Charles Kona. finally raised the dread issue He said that for the township to have several sewage commissions would be "a bureaucratic nightmare with duplication of facilities and interagency agreements. I don't know of any community that has more than cne entity." "If they're heading toward a townshipwide MUA, we should know that." said "so we can join forces." "The township-wide would be more efficient, even though it's cutting your own throat," said Alvarez. The commission voted to request a meeting with the committee "to inform the committee of our progress so far" and "to request our jursidictional boundaries be exapnded to include the (county MUA) Middle Regional plant area." DeVico, asked to arrange the meeting, said it would be the first week in July. She also said the committee wanted the meeting "closed," but the commission said "no way." Now why would the committee want a closed meeting? Who wants witnesses to an "abolishment?"

Estates' Road Repairs Costly

NORTH CAPE MAY - Lowers engineer told township councilmen Monday night it will cost $163,064 or $215,350 to correct cronic drainage problems and repair roads in Bayshore Estates. That doesn't include engineer fees. The lower price was for surfacing streets with oil and stone while the more expensive estimate was for asphalt surfacing Because of its. longer lifespan, council

advised Township Mamager James R. Stump to surface with asphalt. Since he set aside $100,000 for the project, however, councilmen recommended dividing the work into two parts over two years. At Councilman Joseph Lonergan's insistence, Mindi and Heidi avenues will be included in this year's phase of the project. As proposed by Lower's engineering consultant Andrew Previti. roads in the development will be excavated 12 inches then a fabric layer will be installed under stone and a five-inch gravel base topped with asphalt. Roadside drains would funnel water runoff to collection points and eventually to an outlet on a tributary of Cox Hall Creek. SURFACING WITH OIL and stone would have lasted one-two or four-five years, depending on maintenance, while costing $1.50 a square yard, Previti told council. Asphalt surfacing would cost $3.50-$4 a square yard but last 10-15 years, he said. Citing the engineering study. Stump attributed the drainage problem and related road repairs to "unacceptable groundwater and seasonally high groundwater levels, and unacceptable soils" in the hous ing development. "That's probably the problem — that they never should have developed in the area." Lonergan. who lives in Bayshore Estates, reflected last week. "It's got a high water table. "I've been fighting against more development along Bayshore Road until they (township officials) address drainage." added the councilman who represents development residents. Previti, however, told councilmen Mon day that roadwork and drainage in Bayshore Estates met township standards at the time of construction. Although now regarded as inadequate, "the standards were good enough at the time." he said. ANOTHER LEFTOVER problem that needs council attention has surfaced in the development. Previti told the officials Monday. Three of the streets — Suzanne. Linda Ann and Roseanne — have not been dedicated to the township. One method of accepting them as township streets is by performing maintenance, such as the pending road and drainage work, on them, he said, but council should ask its solicitor's advice on assuming that responsibility. Bids were opened Monday afternoon on the township's overall road program and they came in below the $300,000 Sfamp earmarked to resurface 84 streets. .. McCarthy paving was the low fcidder at $177,000, the manager confirmed^He said "we should be starting" the project "in 15 days." Stump told council he would like to double this year's road program, but councilmen didn't indicate to him whether they approved or not. Nor did they say whethere he should redirect road program money for the Bayshore Estates drainage project. "We'll look at the money and try to come up with a two-year plan." he told them

Molester Sentenced 1 OCEAN CITY — James P. Nell. 24. of Corinthian Drive will serve six rhonths in jail, three years' probation and undergo alcohol counseling for molesting a Margate woman, 40. near the resort high school around 3 a.m. Oct. 20. Superior Court Judge James A. O'Neill sentenced Nell on one count of aggravated criminal sexual contact Friday. The prosecutor agreed to drop charges of attempted ag gravated sexual assault and aggravated assault. Molester Sentenced 2 GOSHEN — Ricksom Robbins, 33. of Delsea Drive will spend four years in state treatment for molesting three boys, 11-16, on his farm between 1981-'84. Until suspended, he was chief custodian at the county Vo-Tech school. He was arrested with James E. Meyers, 34, also of the Goshen farm. Meyers pleaded guilty to molesting minors on the farm between 1979-'80. The former Middle Township High School janitor was sentenced in Octohento three years' probation, counseling and 100 hours community service.