« . / Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 20 November '85 49

Tropeano: He Ignored Odds and Won

(From Page l) about six or seven blocks. AS A RESULT of revenue the township receives from the gross receipts and franchise tax that utilities pay. residents enjoy one of the lowest tax rates in the state. The windfall comes from Atlantic Electric s Beesley's Point generating plant. There has been what many consider explosive growth in the township in the last five to 10 years, much ot which preceded the advent of casino gambling in Atlantic City. Politically, the township is overwhelmingly Republican with the party claiming about 3,000 of the 5.300 registered voters. Registered Democrats number only about 500. The remainder are independent. Despite his appeal to Democratic voters last year and his status as an independent. Tropeano is a registered Republican. "MY LEANINGS are toward the conservative side of the spectrum," he said last week. "I'm an accountant by profession, and dollar-oriented, cost-versus-benefit-, and inquisitive are other identification tags that would apply to me." As an independent and a longshot. Tropeano waged a direct appeal to voters by knocking on doors starting before Labor Day. "No. there were pockets that 1 did not get to," he said when asked if he had been able to contact every home. In addition to asking voters to elect him so there would be an independent voice on the committee, Tropeano questioned the efforts of officials to control population growth. "THE TOWNSHIP HAS had a master plan for three years, but has never adopted it, and a number of meetings of the Planning Board had to be canceled for lack of a quorum," Tropeano said. "My position on growth is. we should slow it down a little and control it," he said. He also attacked $10,000 salaries paid to committee members. "There is not a dire need for this high a salary," he said. "I will accept only $3,000 plus out-of-pocket expenses. Anything more than that I will give to civic organizations in the township." All committee members either have fulltime jobs, or own businesses. Tropeano is the owner-operator of Trop's Tree Farm. HIS CAMPAIGN profited from the publicity that he received when township officials tried to stop him from carrying a

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sign on his mobile trailer, offering registration forms to voters, i He appealed the cease and desist order to Superior Court, arguing that, even though the sign was prohibited by the zoning ordinance, his right to free speech permitted its use. Tropeano agreed to withdraw his court suit when the township agreed to change the law. Financial support, and manpower are the two biggest disadvantages of running as an independent independent, Tropeano found. "You don't have the organization to do detail work for you. and there's an absolute dearth of funds." he said. "I used funds out of pocket, and I got some contributions " Tropeano estimates that both his opponents outspent him 2-1 to 4-1. When you fight the organization, you can expect to pay for it, Tropeano said. "I HAD BEEN CHAIRMAN of the Zoning Board and a member of the Planning Board. But because of my not falling in line with the Republican organization. I was not reappointed to the Planning Board, and I was bumped from chairmanship of the Zoning Board," Tropeano said. "And my wife, because she backed me. was not permitted to run for the state Republican Committee." he said. "And I feel that my daughter was deprived of a summer job as toll-taker on the Atlantic City Expressway as a result of my campaign." Tropeano said he expected such things. "My attitude is, if somebody becomes angry, you don't think straight." he said. BORN AND RAISED in Jersey City. Tropeano has lived in the township for 20 years. He is a trustee in the Marmora Volunteer Fire Co., and has served as chairman of the New Jersey Utilities Claims Committee. Proud owner of a handlebar moustache. Tropeano found a novel way to thank the voters who elected him: he drew a large moustache on yellow smile sign that was on the side of his campaign vehicles. He celebrated his upset win "with a little get-together at my mother-in-law's home," and then took off with his wife for a four-day trip to Florida "to unwind." Asked if his political ambitions extend beyond township boundaries, Tropeano said, "I think I will be very satisfied if I could fulfill the peoples' wishes and provide the leadership they want. "Four years ago, if somebody said I would be running for the committee, 1 would have placed them in Ancora," he added. It may or may not have been a coincidence. but Tropeano was nominated to a new farmer's aid group by the county Board of Agriculture several days after his election.

V Planned 'Water Paradise' Vandalized, Eyesore V

( From Page 1 ) he thinks it will be inclined to give Rennebeck the benefit of the doubt "I CAN'T SEE them penalizing the guy twice," Lochten said. "What we probably will do is have him clean up the property and press for better security. It's not < really) his fault, but it is his property " Lochten said he is satisfied that Rennebeck was held up by the moratorium and will resume work within a reasonable time after it is lifted. The township recently received a $350,000 grant that will be used to extend water service to areas within one mile of the dump. Rennebeck s property is approximately 400 feet from the dump site, according to the county Planning Board Township officials expect the building

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ban to be ifted as soon as it receives official confirmation of the grant in January The moratorium was designed to prevent well-drilling within a mile of the dump "RENNEBECK SAID he will get all his financing together and get started as soon as"it is lifted." Lochten said. "Of course, if he comes back and says it will take three or foupyears. we will order him to remove his equipment . " Lochten said Rennebeck went through all the proper chanriels to get approval for his park and spelled out exactly what he planned to put there. In late 1981 he received permits from the township Planning Board and Zoning Board of adjustment to begin work. In 1983 some work began. A foundation for a merry-go-round and part of a foundation for the main entrance were laid. A 10-acre lake on the property was re-shaped and cleaned of weeds and debris. Rennebeck was in the process of applying for well and sewer permits in 1984 when the moratorium was announced in February. Since then, his equipment and storage trailers have been the target of repeated vandalism. w RENNEBECK SAID vandals have > smashed all the windows out of a tractor, * burned down a shed that was going to ~ serve as a hot dog stand, stolen a ! children's ride and broken locks off his ■ storage trailers and destroyed the 7j contents. „ "It is either a systematic attempt to keep the stuff disturbed or someone keeps looking to see if I put anything more in there." Rennebeck said. "I don't!" He said he is constantly replacing locks on the trailers, which Lochten confirmed. J "The last time I was up there there was

a new lock on one of the trailers." he said "And he has a steel barricade up in front of the trailers, but its not much help " "Whatever you do is not enough." Rennebeck said. RENNEBECK ESTIMATED it would cost $50-60,000 to fence in the property, money he cannot afford to spend until he finds out if he will be able to continue work. He said he has spent approximately $160,000 on the project so far. Items on the property include assorted rides, engines to power the rides, tractors, a half dozen storage trailers containing stuffed a.nimals and parts for water slides. an9. equipment for cable-run waterskiing rides. One trailer containing stuffed animals was broken into and the dolls ripped to shreds. Their stuffing and debris from previous looting litters the property. Lochten said barrels on the property contain lubricants for the engines, and a check by the county Board of Health found them not to be dangerous None of the bar rels have been disturbed. Rennebeck, a native-born German who came America in 1973, bought the 50-acre property off Route 9 along Seigtown Road in 1981 for the purpose of building his water park. THE PARK was to include cable-run waterskiing facilities, bumper boats, water slides, a miniature golf course, a children's playground, a restaurant, a bird sanctuary, a nature exhibit and swimming and scuba diving areas. Rennebeck has been involved with the design and construction of amusement facilities in Europe and America for 20 years. He owns and operates Rennebeck Amusement Services in Wildwood

PROMOTING WILDWOOD — Grant coordinator Michael Zunipino. Wild wood' City Business Administrator Mark Pfeiffer. Assistant Administrator Robert Mitchell and Mayor Victor DiSylvester discuss downtown Wildwood revitalization plans before last Thursday's presentation at Wildwood High.

Wildwood Revitalization Proposed

(From Page 1) $30,000 to develop plans for the Wildwood project. DiSylvester turned the microphone to Thomas J. O'Connor and Thomas J. Sykes. who explained the problems their "firm sought to correct. They said Pacific Avenue does not provide an environment where people can relax, sit and enjoy scenery. There are no trees, no benches to sit on. a confusing array of signs and poor lighting. Also, there are pedestrian circulation problems because of narrow sidewalks and vehicular traffic flow problems stemming from two-way traffic and parking on both sides of the street. THE ARCHITECTS recommended that two lanes of traffic on the avenue should flow one-way north, with parking on only one side. This would reduce traffic problems and allow widening of the sidewalks, which are only five feet wide at some points, he said. Trees, decorative lighting and benches would be added to beautify the street and invite shoppers to linger, they said. The decor would draw on a nautical theme, or one related to the city's past. "Pacific Avenue is a dying street, but one block away, on the boardwalk, there are sometimes 75,000 people at a time." Sykes said. "How do we get people back to the city? We need something to draw people in like the ocean draws them to the boardwalk." With that in mind, the firm proposed a gradually declining ramp from the boardwalk over Atlantic Avenue and down to Pacific. It would be lined with shops, to lure walkers, and would lead to a 30-50.000-square-foot retail complex with

parking underneath Descent ramps would lead to more stores, parking lots or open air markets beneath the ramp. AT THE END. pedestrians would enter an esplanade complete with a fountain in the middle, garden courts, a courtyard to eat in. an area for sidewalk sales and ex hibits and a bell tower that would serve as a landmark. The street would offer drop off points for trams and cars O'Connor said the estimated cost of lighting, sewers, traffic controls, street furnishings, landscaping, widening sidewalks and rebedding streets would be $3 million. He didn't say if th^t figure included the ramp Grant coordinator Michael Zumpino. of Triad Associates. Glenside. Pa., said the city currently qualifies for two economicdevelopment programs, the Small Cities Community Development Program and the Urban Development Action Grant Program (UDAG). Small Cities is a federally-funded program. administered by the state Department of Community Affairs, that provides up to $350,000 to business and industry at below market rate financing. The funds usually represent 25 percent of the total project cost and will only be made available when private funds also are available. The UDAG is federally funded and can exceed $350,000 as long as every one dollar of federal funds leverages three dollars of private funds. Administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. UDAG provides financial inducements to the private sector to invest in expensive programs. ZUMPINO SAID both programs are available three times a year. He said he is exploring other grant programs of interest ' to developers, most of which Wildwood is not directly eligible for In a question-and-anwser session following Zumpino's presentation. DiSylvester was unable to estimate the cost to Wildwood taxpayers. He said the project's cost would be divided between free enterprise. grants, and the city, but said it was too early to tell the cost to each. Many residents and shop owners ques tioned how the project would help other business owners. "This is a starting point," DiSylvester said. "It breeds success when you attract people and I think it will spill over to other * businesses." "This, to me, is no different than bring ing a railroad track into town^ You are pro viding a conduit, a feeder," lie said. "We will be providing the proper atmospherrfor growth." IN ANSWERING A question by Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Salerno, the mayor said that shop owners will have to cooperate with the city. "We can't have haphazard development once we commit to a program like this," he said "We must have strict requirements. built into the city's Master Plan ." He also said that certain businesses, like the T-shirt shops that have given the city a bad name, must not be let into the new project. DiSylvester said the section of PacificAvenue could eventually become a pedestrian mall, like Washington Street in Cape May. but that the effect of the project must be studied before making that commitment. The next step for the project, the mayor said, is a huddle with community and city officials who will receive a total hriefing and discuss how to market the project with a major developer.