Herald - Lantern Dispatch 19 March '86 • ^

' „ a The Wildwoods • ^ y t 9 M Thomas Parsons f Ms

Easter is rapidly approaching. Last week we mentioned the annual Easter Egg hunt sponsored by the Wildwood Department of Recreation. Don't forget! It is this Saturday. Plan to have your little ones attend. Call the Rec Center at 522-5837 for particulars. Another Wildwood event in observance of the holiday season is a planned Boardwalk Art Show. This event, co-sponsored by the Tourism Department and the Cape May County Art League, is slated for March 30 along the "Wooden Way". ALTHOUGH EASTER is early this year, if the weather continues the way it has been this past week, it will be an excellent weekend for the show. The event will feature both professional and amateur artist's work. For further information, call the Boardwalk Info Center at 522-1407. I was speaking with Doug Hunsberger. our Island's resident shutterbug, last week. Doug had just returned from a business trip to Ocean City. MD. Guess what — there was no room at the inn... not any of them! According to Hunsberger, every available motel room within the, confines of Ocean City was booked. Quite a contrast to the dismal state of affairs in our fine resort.

IN QUERYING the innkeepers, Hunsberger learned that each of the hotel operations has experienced a 100 percent occupancy during the winter. The secret was that each installed an indoor pool, sauna, exercise room, and tanning salon. The improvements, coupled with a savvy marketing program, has afforded the owners a welcome source of income in the winter and the business has kept many workers off the unemployment roles. One wonders if the Wildwoods really must "die" so completely in the off season. * ALWAYS ONE to search for methods to attract tourists, Hunsberger has been behind several unique promotional concepts, the latest of which I have to pass on to you. As you know, we have more than sufficient beach area, or more specifically, more than sufficent sand. Well. Doug thinks we should make a concentrated effort to gather the sand in one central location and create a huge sand mountain. In fact, he has the spot all picked out; betwcen the piers in Wildwood. Supposedly, the "pile" could amuse the tots in the summer, but the real kicker is in the winter, when the snow-making machines gear up and create the world's first ski slope on the oceanfront. IF POSSIBLE, the idea would certainly give Ocean City, Md. a run for its money. At least, if the idea failed, the sand would be ready to be loaded and shipped to cities such as Cape May, which would pay a premium for all the sand it took to make a mountain. The odd thing about the conversation wUh Doug was that he told rhe of his idea because he thinks I'm

the one with all the harebrained ideas. I guess Doug just qualified for membership in the club. THE GREATER Wildwood Moose Lodge has put out the word that it needs information. Historical info, that is. This year the Moose Lodge celebrates its 75th anniversary and members are looking for any resident who may have information concerning the Moose Lodge over the past decades. Press clippings, programs, anecdotes, anything at all that would help complete the journal being compiled by the group would be appreciated. If you are the possessor of such informtion or if you know of someone they could contact, give Ed Pluta a call at 522-1460. THREE SINCERE notes of congratulations are to be extended. The first to Joseph Visalli. who is readying for his installation as Superior Court Judge The honor was overdue, and this Crest resident will serve us all well. In accepting the position, Visalli vacated two. Congratulations are also to be extended to Kenneth Calloway, who will be assuming the Municipal Judgeship for the City of Wildwood. Calloway is a North Wildwood resident, his wife. Janet, and their two children. IN NORTH Wildwood. the vacant judges bench will be filled by Louis Belasco. Belasco. a graduate of Wildwood Catholic High School, lives in North Wildwood with his wife, Mary Louise, and their three children. Finally, as things happen. Belasco, prior to being named Municipal Judge, served the City of North Wildwood as city prosecutor. Tha$% right, another vacancy and another extension of congratulations. Recipient this time is Mario Farina. We also wish him well in his new position. Farina and his wife Lois live in North /Wildwood. f ••• N The Greater Wildwood Hotel/Motel Association is to be complimented for once again offering its members the opportunity to participate in the "TOT TAG" program. The program, which began several years ago. is well received by vacationers. The program features a water-proof/tamper-proof ID bracelet that innkeepers give to the parents of children staying in their motel. Once placed on the child, the bracelet stays there, and serves as an ex f cellent method of identifying and reuniting lost I children with their parents. If you happen to be a 5 local business owner and not a member of the s organization, give it a call f if you are interested in participating in the program. ; I'm sure the group would 5 be happy to sell a few. The GWHMA sells the bracelets at cost to interested members. t . . ■ v . II y, •.

Upper Posts $6.8 Million '86 Budget

UPPER TOWNSHIP'S assessed valuation climbed by $167.8 million last year to $340,082,850. Its proposed 1986 budget is up by $468,617, or 7.3 percent. to $6,867,670. Upper residents don't pay local purpose tax because of gross receipts and franchise taxes from Atlantic Eiectric's B.L. England generating plant, Beesley's Point. Last year, $4.7 million was received from the plant. This year's figures haven't been released by the state, but the proposed budget allows for $4.25 million. Residents do pay county, library and school district taxes and the budget estimates $343,425 from the reserve for uncollected taxes. I . . » 9 I

> The proposed budget 1 calls forall but $99,428 of its r $2.4 million 1985 surplus in the 1986 budget, t Among anticipated budget appropriations are: • $811,456 for salaries and t wages, a $88,606 increase, t • $225,000 for insurance > costs, a $125,000 increase. * • $605,000 for repaving, repair and maintenance of , township roads. ; • $160,000 for street 5 lighting, a $15,000 increase. f • $150,000 for dump tipping j fees, a $25,000 increase. 5 • $85,000 to cover the costs of foreclosed property sales. t A public hearing and vote t to adopt the budget is » scheduled April 14 at 8 p.m. j in Municipal Hall, Tuckahoe.

H! ROY GILLIAN Boardwalk Art Show On Easter WILDWOOD - The Wildwood by the Sea Boardwalk Art Show, sponsored by the city and the Cape May County Art League, will be held Easter Sunday. March 30, with judging at noon. Professionals and amateurs will be judged separately. Categories include oils, water colors, graphics, photography, fine crafts, and sculpture. In case of rain, the backup site will be Wildwood Convention Hall Additional information is available from the art league, 1050 Washington St., Cape May. 884-8628.

Gillian Will Seek O.C. Mayor's Post

OCEAN CITY - Local businessman Roy Gillian, a former Cape May County freeholder and Ocean City commissioner, announced his candidacy for the position of mayor at a news conference held at The Flanders hotel. (The incumbent mayor. Jack Bittner. already has , announced that he will seek a second term.) "Ocean City faces a lot of challenges in the months and years to come," Gillian said, "and I feei that with my background in both business and community service, I will be able to help us all meet those challenges successfully." THE THEME of his campaign will revolve around his commitment to public service in the past, present and in the future, he said. Gillian, who recently completed a five-year term on the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority. where he was vice chairman for the past two years, has received a number of commendations for his commitment to public service "Ocean Ciiy and Cape May County have been good to me." Gfllic^i said at his news conference, "and I feel that -public service is one way of showing my gratitude " GILLIAN COMMITTED himself to running a cam paign based on the issues and called on his opponents to do the same. "There are a number of issues that deserve to be brought beiore the electorate in this campaign." Gillian said. "I hope that by

May 13 the voters of Ocean City will have a clear choice* in the direction they would want to see their government take in the next four years." He said he feels the most important issue of this campaign is the need to "bring professionalism back to Ci- , ty Hall" "IT'S NO secret that. the current administration has sabotaged the council/ mayor /administrator form of government in order to consolidate all the power in the hands of the mayor." Gillian said. "The voters of Ocean City opted for this form of government eight years ago to eliminate that kind of abuse." Another important issue Gillian feels will draw considerable attention during the upcoming election campaign is the problem Ocean City will face in the very near future in coordinating the city's rapid grow th with its capacity to handle wastewater- disposal associated with the growth "THE RESOLUTION of this problem can only come through good cooperation and communication among the builders. Realtors, the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority and the city." he said. "I expect that the good health of both the citizens of and visitors to Ocean City will take precedence over all other considerations." Gillian said he will discuss a number of other issues in the weeks ahead and some unique solutions to long standing problems in the city.

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