Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 4 June '86 ✓ V 67

Our Readers Write Why's He Want It Built There? To The Editor: Lower Township Mayor Robert Fothergill's apologies to the 80 or so present at the May 19 council meeting, concerning the (political) cartoons depicting "Fothergill's Folly" (the township incinerator), does an injustice to the taxpayers of Lower. These are the same taxpayers who have paid thousands of dollars for an idea conceived by Fothergill, who continues in his efforts to try to confuse the people by pushing this issue in conjunction with Green Acres funding. The two should never have been linked together; by doing so, the citizens of Lower have been cheated and deceived. I regret that Deputy Mayor M.M. "Peggie" Bieberbach is still stating that she is confused (a situation she seems to find herself in quite often), but the taxpayers are not; they have made it quite clear they do not want an incinerator. FOTHERGILL. in all his earnest attempts to convince us of all the glories of an incinerator on Sunset Boulevard, doesn't tell us why he wants to have such a thing built in an area publicized as having the best and cleanest air in the state. How can one justify putting such a thing in this area? Just suppose the air emitted is as clean as Fothergill promises (oh, if we mortals could be so sure of anything), what about the trucks that will travel that narrow road, the only road, day in and day out to feed this monster. Can he guarantee their emissions are so pure? Let's be realistic and honest: the site was a bad idea. One dirty industry left the area and somehow the integrity of the air remained reasonably safe. Let's try to keep it that way. COME NOVEMBER, let's finally put this issue to rest peacefully and quietly. The other disturbing issue is the final statements made by the mayor at that meeting. Many citizens come to Township Hall with some very serious issues and concerns. After all, it is the taxpayer's town meeting and not, in the words of the mayor, the "best free show in town" and "maybe we'll begin to charge." If Fothergill thinks the taxpayers and the concerned citizens think that's funny, he's on the wrong bus. I'd suggest that in 1988 he should try "Show Biz" and let someone who'll take the job seriously take over. ROSEMARY FERRIS Cape May Beach Review Board: Diligent, Fair To The Editor: Having recently resigned from the Community Standards Review Board (CSRB) in Lower Township, I felt it important to make several comments concerning the CSRB. First, I would like to thank Mayor (Robert) Fothergill and the members of Lower Township Council for their insight in creating this board. They listened to the clear voice of the people who saw and continue to see the need for a decent community where people will not be treated like objects. The council's desire to maintain the Constitutional right of the First Amendment while also holding to the values of the township is to be lauded. Special thanks goes to Deputy Mayor M.M. "Peggie" Bieberbach, a board member, and Councilman (Joseph) Lonergan. the only other member of the council ever to visit CSRB meetings. Second, I owe a debt of gratitude to the members of the CSRB. These people, coming from a diverse cross-section of our community, worked diligently to investigate and fairly represent the views of the community. They are honorable people who have labored not for the limelight, but for their township. With the pyrotechnics usual in some public meetings blissfully absent, the ladies and gentlemen of the CSRB were able to be constructive and positive in the difficult work given them. Thanks to Ferd DeCollewaert for his leadership as chairman of the board. Also, thanks goes to Bruce Gorman, township solicitor, who drew up the ordinances dealing with the pornography issue. His clear knowledge of the law enabled the board to function comfortably within right bounds Finally, thanks goes to reporter E.J. Duffy for his fair and even-handed reporting of the issues as they developed over the past year. My only regrets are that the headlines slurred the good work of the board by calling it a "Porn Board", and that Duffy did not report that my reason for leaving the board was due solely to my moving from the area. I want it clearly understood that I left the board only because I had to. REV. GEORGE B. FINCKE Fishing Creek Do you have an opinion on this subject? Write a letter to the editor, P.O. Box 430, Cape May Court House, N.J. 08210

f SAME OLD GRIND \ / My dentist has a waiting room \ / Designed to ward off thoughts of gloom, 1 f The drapes are gay, the magazines Are filled with wit and travel scenes; j 1\ The piped in music is divine, I Y I am relaxed and feeling fine / \\ Until his starched assistant's grin / \ Assures me I may go right in, / \ And then on legs of jelly I / V Arise as though condemned to die / \ And sink into the waiting \ chair, My nerves exposed, my fears laid bare! „ „ .. By Vtney Endicott Lets Save the Old Prosecutor Building To The Editor: As almost everybody knows by now, Cape May Court House will celebrate the 300th anniversary of its birth in 1990. In anticipation of this splendid occasion, the freeholders are blowing out the first candle by consigning the Prosecutor's Building (Old Library), ci^ca 1865, to oblivion. This structure is clearly an example of the Second Renaissance Revival style, which is rare in this county. We seem to be lead to believe that the only way this county's services will survive is to have us tear down our buildings once they outlive their usefulness and replace them with something new. Of course, we all realize that the entire building industry would collapse if we could convert our existing buildings from one use to another. It certainly is breathtaking when you think of how we survived the past 120 years in this particular structure. THERE SEEMS TO BE an overriding notion or temptation to redesign the court facilities and, as the architect's drawings became more intricate, to reduce everything to its absolute minimum. It then becomes necessary to simplify, purify and distill every space; to subtract anything that gets in the way until everything falls into place with an almost audible click. The click was clearly audible. Let's all step back from the boundaries of "chaos" and take a real look into understanding Character. A society's buildings are part of its character, an ever-evolving testimony to its behavior and accomplishments. They provide a sort of clarity that seems to be more and more necessary in this age of complexity and contradiction. Let's do the impossible, let's preserve the character of this ageless structure and thereby create an orderly framework that will allow Cape May Court House to unfold in all its color and splendor. „ ALKARASO Cape May Court House

Joyride III alR By Libby Demp Forrest V JJ" j Dear World, Thank you for letting me know you were there — even though there were days when I wasn't sure if I still was Thank you for filling my hospital room with so many flowers there were mornings when I awoke I wasn't sure if I was in a greenhouse or a mortuary. Thank you. World, for the morning when I awoke to hear a patient in the pavillion next to my room. She and her daughter were praying. The woman would say, "Praise the Lord." Then her daughter would say, "Praise the Lord." As I awoke, I heard their voices and I thought for a moment hey, I must be dead. But when I opened my eyes I knew it wasn't curtains, after all. THANK YOU. WORLD, for providing me with an ex cellent surgeon. He didn't step out of "General Hospital." Nor did I. When he was doing his work in the O R (see how I've become familiar with hospital terms?), he put me first. Meanwhile, back in his office, an outraged woman with a routine appointment, carried on when she was told the doctor was tied up in surgery and would she like to wait or make another appointment. She wouldn't wait, she said, because "her time was worth money too." So she left. My doctor told me about that woman the next day. "I stayed where I was needed," he said simply. I'm awfully glad he stayed, too. World. THANK YOU, WORLD, for the good people who took care of me in the hospital. Hospitals are busy places that run on schedules, shifts and rigid procedures, but there were employes who came into my room and gave me a laugh or two. Even though it hurt to laugh, it was good medicine. Thank you, World, for the trip home. I hope the State of New Jersey will be lenient with nip, but I didn't put the seat belt on that time. The incisiorjhnd the seat belt were pretty much in the same place. I rest my case. THANK YOU. WORLD, for the imperfect world of home. Homes do not run like hospitals. I get a lot more laughs at home than I did in the hospital. No. 2 races upstairs in the morning to bring my tea before he runs out the door to school. I see the soap bubbles in the cup and wonder why he didn't bother to rinse out the cup after he washed it. But my cup runneth over. I'm home, World. 'H,' as in Hangin' To The Editor : I saw the newspaper clipping about that nitwit from the North writing about hanging Gen. Robert E. Lee (Flower H. Stratloo of Avalon, April 30). I reckon the initial H in his name is for hangin'. I'm 86 years old, but he must be older and must stay out in the sun top much. HAINES PORTER Pal^tka, Fla. Do you have an opinion on this subject? Write a letter to the editor. P.O. Box 430, Cape May Court House. N.J. 08210

Court Project Is Necessary

(From Page 66) types of litigation in which a resident of the county might find himself involved. AN INDIVIDUAL WHO has a job-related injury for which he is seeking a determination of compensation or disability finds himself in the Worker's Compensation Courts. If an individual covered by the Civil Service Act has a grievance that needs to be heard, his case comes before an Administrative Law judge. New Jersey also recently established a Tax Court, which would hear, among other things, disputes regarding tax assessments. Any resident of the county who has had to go to Worker's Compensation Court knows that those Courts hold session in Atlantic City. Similarly, the Tax Court judge, for the most part, sits in Atlantic City, and trials before the Administrative Law judges are usually held in whatever municipal courtroom in Cape May County that is available. I have had experiences where an Administrative Law trial that took place over a course of five days had sessions in three different municipal buildings. You can imagine what a nuisance and inconvenience that was. IT WAS MAINLY for these reasons that, as assignment judge for Cape May and Atlantic Counties, Judge Gruccio pushed for expansion of court facilities, so that any resident of Cape May County having any business before any court, be it Superior Court or otherwise, could have his matter heard in Cape May Court House, because facilities would be available. The present assignments judge, Judge Williams, also subscribes to this philosophy, and I have seen days in Cape May Court House where all three existing court rooms were in full operation, with the assignments judge sitting in the old court house, and yet another Superior Court judge conducting proceedings in what was the old grand jury room. ]

There are also other reasons for expansion totally unrelated to the number of judges, and that relates to conference rooms and jury assembly areas. It is very difficult for an attorney and a client to discuss settlement of a case or testimony in a crowded hallway, where other attorneys and litigants are milling about. This difficulty is compounded when jurors are walking back and forth through those same hallways. THE COURTHOUSE EXPANSION was necessary for a number of reasons, and when it is completed, it is my opinion that all residents of Cape May County seeking access to the courts to have their matters heard, regardless of which court they have to appear before, will be pleased that an adequate facility has been provided for this impor- * tant task. One need look no farther than the expanded facility in Atlantic County at 1201 Bacharach Blvd. to see what a difference can be made to the administration of justice by an adequate facility. Atlantic County has been in the process of expanded and renovating its court facilities since the early 70s, the first being the construction of the Civil Complex at 1201 Bacharach Blvd., the second being the renovation of the Criminal Court facility and new jail construction in Mays Landing, and the third being the recently completed expansion of the Bacharach Boulevard facility. "Ibe freeholders of Atlantic County, like other counties statewide, recognized the need for these projects and took steps to implement them. Cape May County is no different, and our freeholders deserve our support for the ef- * forts they are taking to assure adequate court facilities for the residents of this County. JOSEPH M. ASSAN Cape May Court House