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| Vol. 22 No. 14 c1986 Seawave Corp. All rights reserved.

April 2, 1986

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gfeVNEWS' iNgV DIGEST 17/ If) / The Week's // // // Top Stories There's Still Time COURT HOUSE — About 100 persons responded to a community college questionnaire that appeared on page 49 in this newspaper last week. Completed questionnaires will continue to be accepted this week at our office, 106 N. Main St. The purpose is to help a Community College Proposal Review Committee determine attitudes on higher education needs t, in the county. ' Local Animals First ) OCEAN CITY — City Council and the local Humane Society reached a lease agreement for a new animal shelter last week Among conditions: the city will own the shelter, the shelter must be open year-round, seven days a week for four hours a day or one hour in inclement weather. Ocean City animals will have preference in admissions, there is a limit on the number of dogs and cats, the society must comply with all applicable state regulations ami the city has the right to inspect its records. Meters Okayed SEA ISLE CITY - This city will become the sixth county municipality (Page 53 Please) 13ml, v REFINISHING: no slap and dash. Antiques, page 18. IT'S MACKEREL time. Outdoors with Lou Rodia, page 38. THE (overhead) call of the billiards. Joyride, page 55. (REAL) goose eggs for the freeholders; page 12. STONE HARBOR losing only service station, page 10.

■ V a Bert Hodge Pholo MARION EDGAR

'Mom' Edgar on Political Campaign Trail for Son By E. J. DUFFY ^ VILLAS — Marion Edgar's hitting the campaign trail again. No, she's not running for freeholder, councilwoman or even a school board seat. If you haven't heard her mentioned as a contender in local political circles, it s because she does her campaigning in Pennsylvania. She'll be on the stump this month for her favorite son — almost literally — U.S. Rep. Bob Edgar of Delaware County, Pa. The United Methodist minister and Democrat isn't running for reelection from

the Seventh District Republican stronghold where he's bucked the GOP tide for six two-year terms. Now Marion's son, familar to many of his former constituents in Cape May County, is running against Pennsylvania Auditor General Don Bailey in the Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Arlen Specter "I ALWAYS TAUGHT them they could do anything they wanted if they worked hard enough. " Mrs. Edgar said of her SIMS. Outraged by former President Richard Nixon's firing of Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Bob Edgar, then associate pastor of Lansdowne Methodist Church and chaplain at Drexel University, decided to run for Congress against Delaware County Republican and District Attorney Stephen J. McEwen Jr. "I was so proud that he was going into this." said Mrs. Edgar, now a resident of Drumbed Road, who helped in his 1974 campaign office. "Most of Iris staff used to call me mom." Like Congressman William Hughes of Ocean City, Bob Edgar was one of the "Watergate Democrats" who beat the GOP on its own ground in the midst of the White House scandal and have managed to retain their seats despite their districts' (Page 53 Please)

1 ' JK WT . - ~--r^ ' ■ A A jt \ - — 11 a jfl i ( ■ V ■ I v I t H ? ■ •DON'T DROP ME!' — They're "fishing" for rocks at the Dennisville lake on Route 47°Ln j Dennisville. That's Carl Ginder, 9, who'll go head-first into the water if his cousin, Eddie Schofleld, 12. lets go. Watching intently is Eddie s brother. Zack, 2. Less interested are 1 Alicia Schofiled, left, 4, and Dede Dunn, 2. The Schofields are children of Mr. and Mrs. d Eugene Schofleld of Dennisville. Carl is the son of Mrs. Linda Schofield of Villas. And r Dede's the daughter of Mrs. Kathy Dunn of Woodbine. Don't worry; the water's not deep s at this spot.

Last Shot Tuesday At County Budget * By JOE ZEI.MK COURT HOUSE — County budget critics have one more shot at it. Introduced a month ago, adoption was delayed while the state Legislature removed increases in the cost of insurance from the state cap law. Now a final hearing on an amended 1986 budget is set for the freeholder meeting room at 8 p.m. next Tuesday -«• w F-"'. ■ . HVAI i utouaj .

In the last month, the budget has crept upward by another $678,089 to a new total of $45.2 million. BUT THE AMOUNT to be raised by local taxes and the tax rate remain the same: $30 million and 42.7 cents per hundred dollars of assessed valuation, an increase of ninetenths of a cent, That's because an additional $274,379 of the money is coining out of the county's estimated $6-millihn 1985 surplus, and the remainder, $678,069, simply reflects increased state and federahgrants The county now isAi§ing$4 2 million of its surplus. THE ADDITIONAL^amountrof surplus funds used goes for four itemsv increased since the budget was Introduced Feb. 25: • Insurance, other than-group insurance for employes, up another $185,000 to $1.17 million. That's a 40 percent increase over last year's $838,010. It's still an estimate since not all the county's liability insurance is placed yet. • $56,303 for salaries and wages for the Human Services CoalRion. an item Freeholder-Director William E. Sturm Jr said was omitted from the original budget as "an oversight. " • $37,300 for public safety training, a newitem in response to a plea from the county Prosecutor and local police chiefs for assistance in training summer police, primarily for resort communities The police had requested $50,000, but the program has been delayed until October, reduc- . ing pressure on local municipalities The county budget sets aside $27,000 in wages and $10,300 for other expenses. A director at the $27,000 annual salary is the likelihood, according to Sturm. • $10,000 for the office of fire marshal!. Firemen had asked for at least $35,000 for a full-time marshall and staff to coordinate r all fire-related activities, especially inspect c tions mandated by the new state Fire Code t ( Page 53 Please » I

BUILDING PERMITS 2,000 -| 1,900 r —pA 1,800 1.700- r 1,600- V jl '"'32 — f i.ioo yJ- s i ,ooo (— I 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

Growing, Growing, Growing, COURT HOUSE — Lower mortgage rates mean more building in this growing county. The rates have dropped about three percent since last fall. Building permits issued last year surpassed the 1981 total, which itself was a peak for the last five-year period. The figures are part of a "development review summary" in a draft of the county Planning Department's annual report, due for approval this month There were 1.651 building permits issued in the county in 1981 (see chart), but the number dropped sharply to 1,069 in 1982 as interest rates climbed. COUNTY PLANNER said "discovery" of Upper Township, close to Atlantic City and with no local purpose taxes, was one factor in the J981 boom The greatest number of building permits last year were in Ocean City, which issued 596 or 31 percent of the county's total. It was followed by Lower Township, Sea Isle and Upper Township. Last November, the last month for which a breakdown is available, there were 142 building permits in the county with Ocean City leading with 69 followed by Upper's 14 - and 13 apiece in Lower. Middle and Sea Isle City THE PLANNING STUDY also reported that the number of site plans reviewed increased slightly to 157 in 1985 compared to 134 in 1964. The most recent Figure is almost double when the total was 89. These plans wtth townhouses, condominiums, motel and motel expansions, the study said. (Page 53 Please)