opinion

Our Readers Write Some Facts , Not Attacks

To The Editor: * The July 1984 county Grand Jury Presentment criticizing the operation of Middle Township Sewerage District #1 was offered in the hope of securing reform of a quasi-public body that was operating its sewerage treatment plant over capacity in violation of its DEP permit standards. On Jan. 26. 1985 the district had its first election of commissioners in many years. It was the hope of the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce.-who sponsored a Candidates Night in order to provide a forum for the expression of the views of all candidates, that the new commissioners, whomever they might be, would clean up the mess. More than a year has passed and the minutes of Sewerage District No. 1 and correspondence to and from the Department of Environmental Protection during the last year reveal the following facts. THE DEP inspected the township sewerage treatment plant on at least three occasions and found the plant's operation to be unacceptable in terms of the quality of effluent that it was producing. Commission minutes reveal that sewerage flow from the plant consistently exceeded the plant capacity of 95,000 gallons per day as determined by the Elson T. Killam Assoc.. Inc. June 8, 1984 report. ► Flow in excess of plant capacity has an adverse impact on effluent quality. The district now has two flow meters. The readings from both flow meters differ each month by as much as 10,000 gallons of daily flow Consequently, the district still does not know the exact amount of flow. However, both meter readings consistently exceed the capacity of the plant, so the commission is aware that flows exceed the plant capacity. A Feb. 8, 1985 DEP letter required implementation of a water conservation program within 45 days (no later than April 1. 1985). Such a program has not been implemented to date even though it is a nominal cost effort that, by the commission chairman's own assessment, might reduce the daily flow as much as 10 percent to 15 percent. Such a reduction would have reduced past flows to below plant capacity, enabling the plant to operate efficiently and possibly meet effluent discharge standards. ABSOLUTELY NO design or physical work necessary for rehabilitation of aged terracotta sewerage collector lines has been planned or implemented in order to eliminate a significant infiltration or inflow problem A June 10. 1974 Court Order required that this problem be addressed. A Feb. 8. 1985 DEP letter demanded that this problem be resplved. The problem still continues unresolved in spite of these mandates. Ground water that leaks into the lines contributes to plant overloading and adversely impacts effluent quality. Moreover, this leads to the unnecessary expense of treating ground water sewerage that leaks out of the lines Sewerage leaks out of the lines, polluting ground water and degrading the environment THE COMMISSION' still has not entered into a service contract with the Cape May County MUA. Without such a service contract, we have no other means of complying with the July 1. 1988 Environmental Protection Agency discharge standards for treatment plants which greatly exceed those of the current discharge permit. • Access to records concerning DEP correspondence to and from the district on the subject of discharge permit compliance have been refused without explanation, even though these records are available from the DEP offices in Tren (Page 63 Please) Joseph R. Zelnik l.ditnr Bonnie Reina General Manager Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Darrell Kopp Publisher S»owo— Ccp 1996 *1 ngto, wid AN p*ee»rt> lof rk« aMu, caMM, of Nat - °* ** ^*°"°** f^of "wj bo fopfoA«od DEADLINE^ News & Photos Thursday Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information Mail Subscription: Yearly, $40; Six Month, $20 Call 465-5055 For News, Advertising or Subscription Information *W«W. >Milrtpollo« o*»«M. mm IW r.m-N.r. pIiA. himiii and LANTV*> iggp-= Cape May City EAkm of the Cape May Oaaly Herald nun I I t«fr •■<■■>*11 By Tkc »«■>■ ■■ 1 Co ^ T O. c~ft Hmmmm. HJ. Hilt A i ) l b d

Berry's World me&yNt* "e "No. REALLY — I'm a deposed despot who t didn 't fea ther his nest. ' ' l Any Ways to Save Sheneman's Exxon? t To The Editor: In an age of mendacity and mediocrity. Don Sheneman's 1 service station stood out to motorists seeking good service I and essential repairs at a fair and honest price, like a t beacon stands out to unwary mariners in reef-infested seas. Don is a truly honest and dedicated man. and his reward r has been to be shut down by one of the big oil companies. > How many times do we see this today, while at the same i time we read of unbelievably incompetent or dishonest people not only not being fired, but being promoted or in some i cases re-elected? Sort of makes you wonder, doesn't it? > AT ANY RATE. Stone Harbor will be without any service station at all . . worst of all. it will be without one ; where young or old.. male or female, could take their car in complete confidence that they would not be ripped-off t with a phony bill that would make their eyes water Fur thermore, the job would be done right the first time f . If there is any way that we can get together, as a town. and approach Exxon on Don's behalf, let me know and 1 i will surely be in the forefront to help this worthy effort. e CAPTAIN RICHARD K REESE a Stone Harbor

Vets Agency Lost Records

To The Editor: By using my husband's social security number. I traced all of my husband's Army and Navy records. The Coast Guard helped by searching my husband's records and making calls to Washington and the Philadelphia Navy Yard. I found my husband served seven years in the Army. Following this, he enrolled at Valparizo College in Valparizo, Ind. to study engineering. After graduation, he served for a time in the Merchant Marine on ships all around the world. During World War II. he was commissioned Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy. He served actively from 1942 to IM7 and then was placed on Navy reserve. He served from 1947 to 1954 in the Navy reserve. HIS LAST MISSION was Dec. 9. 1954. He sailed from the Philadelphia Navy Yard for Venezuela. He was stricken with a heart attack in Aruba, North West Indies and died Dec. 28, 1954. He never had a date of discharge beca*use he was on active duty when he died. The Veterans Administration does not have his records. In fact, when his will vas probated in the Court in Somerville, the V.A. denied he ever served. It seems incredible that the V.A. has no records when I found he served 19 years. % DURING WORLD WAR II he was on a ship that was torpedoed and sank in the Mediterranean Sea. He and the captain were on a life raft one week with saltines and a small amount of water to survive. The crew, the captain, and my husband were picked up by a freighter and taken to Buenos Aires for a rest and medical and dental checkups. They were there 10 days and then flown to New York City. In another instance, the captain and my husband barely escaped going to a Nazi concentration camp. They did this to keep the crew from mutiny Our embassy was able to get them out and fly them to New York City. IT'S INCREDIBLE the V.A. has no records when I was able to find it out. Should anyone else have difficulty with the Navy, this is the person to contact: Commander Navy Military Personnel Commander NMPC - 641 Washington. D C. 20370 Telephone 202-694-3355. I have my husband's passports : one issued for the Merchant Marine and the other for the Navy. » MARJORIE GALAMORE (Widow Lt. Commander Samuel A. Galamore) Sea Isle City C Letters Welcome _ a The Herald. Lantern and Dispatch welcome letters to the editor on matters of public interest Originals, not copies, are requested. Writers 'must sign name address and phone number. I — A

« r- Do You Do Yudo? ■ Lay in Some Short Sticks

By JOE ZELNIK k We're swamped with mail, making it necessary to answer your questions through this column: P V. of Goshen Crossing: My boyfriend keeps wanting me to bring a bottle of wine arxTa blanket to the beach at midnight to look for Ha lley's com'eL Should I trust him? Answer: I'm sure he's sincere, but the comet is very low in the sky from the Jersey shore and much higher and brighter over the Caribbean. Make him fake you to the islands. J.C. OF PETERSBURG: I resent your charge last week that county residents are lazy. Answer: I can't say Lblame you. but the evidence is irrefutable. Have you ever noticed how slow the local bank-by-phone tellers, George and Tom, talk? R. W. of Sunset Beach: What's been the reaction to your proposal to expand the county's proposed cold storage plant for the fishing industry to include the booming funeral industry? Answer: I regret to say we've been stymied by negative reactions from a lot of petty people who are concerned about whether they'd be next to the flounder, the mackerel, the lobster, the squid, etc. This statusconsciousness seems a bit absurd. It's only for two or three days. L.D. OF HEAD OF RIVER: We're considering opening a new business and you have had an uncanny ability to zero in on local retailing deficiencies: Mexican restaurants, car washes (with soap), dry cleaners. Could you suggest a needed business? Answer: I have noticed an explosion in local martial arts schools including the Kwon Do. Kum Do. and Yudo (and if you think I'm kidding, you haven't read the TaeKwonDo Times lately). I feel certain a chain of shops selling karate equipment would prosper. What this county needs is a place to buy good head, chest, rib and shin guards. let alone toe protectors. And don't forget to lay in

some short sticks (not to be confused with shortribs). If, on the other hand, you want a line of work which requires less financial outlay for inventory, two servicerelated jobs in high demand in this county are credit" checkers and bill collectors. W.S. OF CAPE MAY POINT: Your suggestion the county promote itself as a place for stressless vacations is an excellent one, but your slogan, "Up Tight? Come on Down to Cape May County," is too long for bumper stickers. Answer: You are correct and we have a better one: "Cope at the Cape." A.H. of Kimbles Beach: I note that not even the best minds in county government have been able to solve the parking shortage anticipated after court house renovations. Have you an answer? Answer: I think we should follow the lead of the county Prosecutor. He has a parking spot behind his building with a sign that says "PROS ONLY." I assume this means only professionals can park there: people who come to work early, stay late, and do a hangup job. Let the laggards park at Mr. Donut and walk. . S. Y. OF MOUNT PLEASANT : Why are some nasty people calling Cape May attorney Frederick W. Schmidt Jr. that nasty name, Rip Van Winkle? Answer: I don't think they intend it to be nasty, but Mr Schmidt recently wrote a letter to the Middle Township Committee in which he charged that "within the last two years" it was revealed that the sewage treatment plant serving the Court House area is not in compliance. Most people know that a 1968 study of the plant found it pumping twice its design capacity. It is probably unfair to compare Mr. Schmidt with Mr Van Winkle since Mr. Van Winkle slept 20 years, Mr. Schmidt only 18. T.M. of Skeeter Island: If the folks are calling Mr. Schmidt Rip Van Winkle, what are they calling Middle Mayor Mike Voll, who said Schmidt's letter was "welldocumented"? Answer: Just plain Rip.