Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 9 October '85 69 — . — — ^

Aloha Gave Up CAFRA Fight

NORTH WILD WOOD —The same state CAFRA Review Board that gave the Eddy Motel Condominium permission for sewer connections was supposed to hear the case of the Aloha Motel at 210 Kennedy Blvd But owner Vincent Catanzaro decided to drop his appeal. "I'm not going to court." Catanzaro told this newspaper. "I've been fighting with CAFRA for eight months for six lousy units. It would cost thousands (of dollars) and 1 was told I'd be wasting my time." THE ALOHA is a 23-unit motel and Catanzaro wanted to build a three-story addition: first-floor parking and three units, one utility room, and one storage room on both the second and third floors Its original application was dated Dec 17. 1984, and stated that "three is existing sanitary sewer system that services the project and the proposed addition will not burden that line." The county planning board on Feb 26 advised CAFRA that "approval of the plan

should be contingent on the existence of i adequate capacity of the North Wildwood sewer treatment plant to serve the additional residents ..." On May 1, CAFRA's John Weingart wrote the Catanzaro that he could not ap- I prove, just as he had notified the owners of | the nearby Eddy. ; CATANZARO ATTORNEY Stewart Kay J requested an appeal hearing, but then < Catanzaro changed his mind. "I'd been told "no problem. " he said, ' "and paid my ($1,200) fee and then all of a sudden somebody decide there was a sewer problem. They wanted in-depth reports. 1 spent thousands, wasting my I time. * I "I even said I wouldn't connect until the < new MUA plant was ready." said Catanzaro, "but they still said np They want > another $1,200 fee two years from now '■ "I can see 24 units going up right across i the street." said Catanzaro.

DEP Snafu Cited

(From Page 1) ment of Commerce and Economic Development. They voted 2-1 on Sept. 23 to overrule DEP and grant the permit. THORNTON'S "you're going to find this to believe" came the next day, after a phone call from Donald T. Graham. DEP's assistant commissioner for Regulatory and Governmental Affairs, asking if the county would join in litigation to fight the Review Board's ruling. "Apparently Community Affairs and Commerce felt they weren't in the environmental protection business." said Thornton "I find that difficult to deal with 1 think we have an obligation to support the This would open the door to anyone to challenge its authority in any community. "DEP was responsible to place a moratorium ( on new sewer connections)." said Thornton. "I think that's reasonable under the circumstances." The freeholders agreed to have Sea Isle

City attorney Vincent L Lamanna Jr solicitor to the county Health and Planning departments, support any DEP lawsuit LAMANNA could not be reached, but Health and Planning department spoksmen indicated this week they had not yet heard from him He's paid $l2,000-a year to represent those two departments Hluchan told this newspaper that Evanchyk "always intended a total of 48 units' and received approvals from the North Wiidwood and county planning boards last December "CAFRA denied it. claiming the (sewage treatment! plant wasn't working properly." said Hluchan "We appealed in May or June strictly on the legal basis that CAFRA was only supposed to regulate individual projects, not sewage treatment plants. The Division of Water Resources does that There was no sewer ban in effect then and no indication by Water Resources that you couldn't tie in "So," said Hluchan. "we had CAFRA saying it was a horrible situation, and Water Resources, whose job it is to evaluate sewage treatment plants, wasn't saying anything There were two arms of the state saying different things. We contended. successfully, that CAFRA people do not have legal jurisdiction to look beyond individual facilities under review." MICHAEL MAROTTA. secretary to the CAFRA Review Board, verified Hluchan's * account. "It was sort of a weird deal." he said, "with one division pleading its case before the department." He said John Weingart. director of the Division of Coastal Resources, originally denied the Evanchyk application because the sewage treatment plant was above . capacity. Asked by the CAFRA Rview Board to reevaluate the situation. Marotta said. Weingart "reaffirmed his prior position," and the board overruled him, 2-1. Michael Catania, director of DEP's Of fice of Regulatory Services, voted to uphold the denial. Voting to overturn it were Robert J Martinides. deputy director of the Division of Housing and Development' for Community Affairs, and Rocco Guerrieri of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development. "They declared that Weingart was bound by the actions of the Division of Water Resources and could not go beyond its assessment." said Marotta "They said Water Resources has the exclusive authority to regulate sewer extensions and CAFRA's findings should be limited to consulting with Water Resources " Marotta said a "formal opinion" should be prepared by this week Graham, assistant DEP commission fo/ Regulatory and Governmental Affairs, said his office was "researching the merits" of the case and "contemplating an appeal "IF WE APPEAL." he said. "Cape May County would join us in the appeal, with the Health Department designated as the lead agency to consider parallel action " Hluchan said it was "ridiculous" for DEP to consider appealing its own review board and that he did not understand how the county, "which didn't participate before, could appeal now." Hluchan said his client "recognizes that a sewer ban has been imposed and we're dealing with that We've applied for an exemption. "We had obtained all our local approvals by December, 1984," he said "The CAFRA Review Board has now said we were illegally denied approval in May We could have gotten a building permit the next day. started work, and been well on our way to completion by the time the sewer ban went into effect We would have been allovyed to complete the project The state bought time illegally at my client's expense." "THIS DOESN'T necessarily mean it will be built." said- Reviews Board member Guerrieri "All the board did is remand it back to a different level of government." North Wildwood construction official t Eugene Sanguinetti said Evanchyk's ap peal has been reviewed and will go to a city review committee consisting of three city council members advised by himself and the city solicitor He said the committee has reviewed 15 applications so far. rejecting three and for warding 12 to the DEP's Division of Water Resources He said DEP has not acted on them "They're not too happy with us." said Sanguinetti. "They're not getting anything ( from us ) on the upgrading of the plant All we're submitting is exemptions And they're only going to add to the problem ' i f

n§* Pohhg HI.'.- * NORTH WILDWOOD IRONY — A Shore View, at left, won a CAFRA Review Board deciHHP*- - sion to add 12 units to existing 36. The Aloha, above bowed out of the appeal process and has been denied adding six units to its current 23. See front page story.

Lower Sr. Class Trip Scrubbed —

(From Page 1) buses or trains for places like Washington. D. C. But today, they are as likely to board a plane for a flight to a ski resort, or to Walt Disney World in Florida But trips present problems, too. including the amount of student interest, how much they will cost students, and concerns about behavior and safety. A TRIP TO DISNEY World in Orlando, Fla., was planned for the current senior class at Lower Cape May Regional High School, but it has been canceled because not enough students signed up. A check with five other high schools in Southern New Jersey showed that three of them no longer have class trips. They include Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Wildwood Catholic. Sister Marie Rudegeair, principal at Wildwood Catholic, said students have not gone on class trips for the last six years. "A lot of schools still have them, but we never put it back," said Sister Marie. There are many problems arranging the trips, and some of them have evolved from day trips into weekend, or even week-long affairs, she said. "THEY ARE A GREAT DEAL of ex-

pense for the family and the school." said the principal. But another Catholic high school. Holy Spirit in Absecon, still has class trips, and they are fully supported by students, reports Father Lewis Battisti. the principal. "Our seniors usually go on ski trips at the end of January." said the priest. "This year, they are going to Great Gorge, a ski resort in Pittston, Mass . I believe " The school sponsors a number of fund raising events to help students pay for the trips, and as high as 85 to 90 percent of the seniors take them, Father Battisti said. CLASS TRIPS still alive and well at Mid die Township High School according to Principal John J. McVey. The current crop of seniors is planning to fly to Florida to visit Disney World, a favorite destination. McVey said "We don't have them unless 50 percent of the seniors are interested." said McVey. "Sometimes, it's as high as 75 percent." Disney World was to be the destination for seniors at Lower Cape May Regional. Last year. 92 upper class members flew there, and the trip was a reported success. But two weeks ago. when only 55 of the 220 students in the senior class had made deposits, the school administration said the trip would be scrubbed. "LAST YEAR, there was good response." Assistant Principal William Ackley told the school board. "This year, there was no response " Ackley said he didn't know whether it was due to a lack of interest, "or they just didn't have the money." The cost of the trip to Florida for three days and two nights from Aprir 19 to April 22 was $326 Two members of the senior class contacted by this newspaper said they like the idea of a trip, and they are sorry that it has been canceled. "What turned a lot off was the cost," said Chris Hall, 17 Hall said many of his classmates were "skeptical" about the trip, and held back to see who else was going before making a decision. MANY CLASSMATES. Hall said, will probably go on trips by themselves, either to Florida, or skiing, now that the trip is dead. Hall was able to afford the trip having worked as much as 50 hours a week during the summer as a bus boy at Cape May's

Lobster House restaurant. Last year, he paid his way for a trip to London. England "I loved every moment of it. and I wish I could go back" he siad. "A lot of the kids have jobs, but they were skeptical about that price," said Hall. "It was higher than last year, but not by much " Hall said he felt students were given enough advance notice to decide about the trip. But he said the trip could have been promoted better by school administrators and teachers. "LAST YEAR, the principal (Stanley B Kotzen) pushed and pushed for it," said Hall. "But this year. I didn't hear anything about it." Hall's classmate. Kathy Oliver, said that many of the seniors are upset. Especially the ones that were going, and won't get a chance to go any place " Oliver blamed the trip's demise on cost. "It was to expensive. Maybe closer to $200 would have been all right. " she said. Oliver said she would have liked an < alternative to the trip, such as going ski- < ing, even though she doesn't ski. THE QUESTION of giring students an alternative to the planned trip was raised i at the school board meeting by School Director Arlene MacDonald i "I don't feel we should offer them a se- i cond choice," replied Principal Kotzen. i "If they don't support it, that's it." Kathy Oliver was asked if she thought there would be any interest among her i classmates in a trip to the Philadelphia ( Museum of Art. "I doubt it." she replied. "A lot would ( say, 'What can I get out of that?" i

July Tourists (From Page 1) sons a day on weekends, but most were "day trippers" and many motels had "plenty of vacancies." August, on the other hand, was "a banner month," Patterson said, and the tourist season overall "a little better than last year." "I don't understand why," Patterson said of the July doldrums. "We've got to find out." He said the problem would be given to the chamber's tourism committee "to explore." THE CHAMBER ITSELF is on a roll. It reported 111 new members this year, its largest single year increase, to a total of 721 members. The chamber is dedicated to expanding the tourist season; thus its slogan, "A region for all seasons. " And it wants "off season" replaced by post season, quiet season, shoulder season or fall season

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