1 o . Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 25 |une '86 - «

9 Months After Gloria Reed's Beach Complains

By WILL DENNIS REED'S BEACH - The forgotten street. That's how Claire Bailey, 21 Beach Avenue, terms it. Ever since Hurricane Gloria made its marks on Cape May County last Sept. 27, with its 70 mph winds and storm-driven waves. Reed's Beach has lived with the damage. And according to area residents, it's time the township completes the cleanup. The toll at the time of the storm included five destroyed and 27 damaged houses, the loss of a jetty, and the total erosion of the bay-facing dunes along Beach Avenue. The estimated loss was over $570,000. ALTHOUGH MOST of the hurricane's damage has been cleaned up since the storm, there are still three destroyed houses on South Beach Avenue and loose, drifting sand in the street. The summer residents of South Beach Avenue say that the township has neglected its duty in cleaning up the rest of the mess. "We know Middle Township got money to do the cleanup." said Bailey, "but where did the money go? It doesn't look like getting it would be a primary problem." BUT ACCORDING to James Alexis, township committeeman in charge of public works and roads, getting funding for the cleanup was a problem. "We couldn't get money from the township to do the work, so we had to borrow

it from the state," said Alexis. "In fact, the Cape May County MUA even came and placed dumpsters there, and loaned us two men and a loader. All that we asked was that the people there take their refuse and place it in their front yard." Even though most of the refuse was collected, the beachfront house owners weren't altogether pleased with the job. "THEY DID SOME work the day after the storm." said Joan Erb, 47 S. Beach Avenue, "and we saw them around here for. a week afterward, but since then nothing's been done. When I called the mayor's office, I got no cooperation from anyone there When I called the road department, they told me that the work has been completed. It's just a mess." The main problem, according to Erb and the other residents, is the partially standing wreckage of three houses on the street. •THE OWNERS OF those houses have yet to get any violations," said Erb. "The kids play under the houses and in the wreckage, and someone's going to get hurt. Even though we tell them not to play there, you can't keep your eye on them all the time. The electricity is still hooked up in one of those houses, too. and that's a fire hazard as well." Bailey added. "As far as I know, the people who own the houses have signed releases so the township could come in and clean up the mess. The oldest one

1 was signed last December; i they still haven't got here i to do the work." ACCORDING TO Alexis. ; though, help is on the way. I ' ' Because of our > workload over the spring and summer," he said, "we haven't been able to get over there. We will take ? care of more of it during t the bulk trash pickup ; period over the next two I weeks, though. "We've been mainly working on the north side of the street where the i macadam was all ripped i up — we have until the end of October to rebuilt that." i Speaking of roads, the i other main problem on South Beach Avenue, i residents say. is the condition of the road there. "WHEN THEY come by and scrape it. it stays nice." said Erb. "The problem is, they haven't done it since early in the spring. < There's about six inches of sand on the shoulders of the road now, and it gets worse every time the wind blows. Just this morning, my car was really stuck in it," she said, "and I had to wake up a neighbor, to help pull it out." 'It certainly is ridiculous." said Bailey. "My husband Harry, had to take our money and rent a bulldozer to clear the street just so we could get down here Not only does the wind blow the sand back, i but once a month we get a ! real high tide that washes i over the dunes and puts the i trash and sand into the street. We pay our taxes to

take care of things like this," she said, "but what do we get for it?" ACCORDING to Alexis, South Beach Avenue has been cleared once in the spring, and will be cleared "periodically" throughout the rest of the year. "This area has to be cleaned up." said Bailey. "If not for us, then for the environment. When the tide comes in, it just washes all the trash and wreckage out into the bay. "There's already so much glass and sharp metal in the sand under the water that you'd be foolish to walk in it barefoot. What's going to happen is that someone's going to get hurt, and then the township will do something. And the township will get sued if someone gets hurt. "I'VE WRITTEN letters to Gov. Kean, Aetna insurance and others." said Bailey, "but it's been two weeks now. and still no reaction. Maybe this article might make it harder for us to get aid," she said, "but at this point, what have we to lose?" "Let's just say we haven't forgotten about Reed's Beach," commented Alexis. "I've personally gone to bat over the Reed's Beach area many times, and I did a lot of arguing to rebuild the jetty out there. "IF THESE PEOPLE are only there in the summer, how could they know how much time we've spent out there fixing the place up?" "The township did a lot," he continued. "We spent four weeks in Reed's Beach cleaning up after the storm. In fact, we brought over 150 dumptruck loads of sand to rebuild the dunes which were completely wiped out during the storm, and we had to borrow the money for it from the state of New Jersey. We did it for the protection of the people." STONE HARBOR DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB Jane II North and Soulh Winnerw IK. Mr and Mrs Prank Meade 123 2nd. Dorris Barker and Belly Parker 114 3rd, Bob Owens and BillCoan 112 4th. Mr and Mrs Bert Gtaff 99 Eai I and Weit Wtnneri 1st. Sally Souder and Jane Hawley 13 2nd. Mr and Mrs Tschebull 122 3rd, Mary Prances Englebert and Hazel Kohrbach 1 IS 4th. Mr and Mrs George Bleul 112

AND SPEAKING about protection, some of the residents of Reed's Beach claim they don't get enough of it. "We've been robbed three times in two weeks when we weren't here," said Bailey. "And it wasn't just a hit-and-run operation — they actually took the time to nail sheets over the windows so they could turn the lights on." Kathy Moyer, another resident, also reported her house had been burglarized. •THE POLICE knew these robberies were going on," added Bailey, "but «... ouuvu uuiivj, uui oi i3 or m nouses.

they allowed it to continue. I guess watching Route 9 is more important." Police Chief Ray Saunders denied that the Reed's Beach area is underpatrolled. "We do patrol regularly there," he replied If they're talking about having a patrolman there 24 hours a day, of course we can't do that. As for the burglaries, we talked to all the people we could about it. "It's usually kids who do it." continued Saunders. "We caught six kids there involved in the burglaries of 15 or 16 houses."

Talk About Bulk Trash Wl"

\ W N\Ofl-'V a \ OCEAN CITY HOME SAVINGS and LOAN ASSOCIATION IOS ROOSEVELT BLVD.. MARMORA HOURS: , l0BBy * » l Mon Thurv fe, ''<• fRIDAV TXTIT -#■ DRIVE in • 9-6 Mon Fn IOOTASBURY AVE. • OCEAN CITY • 08226 • 390 0044

Alan Morris

Thomas E. Shaw will be installed as the new president of the Ocean City Rotary Club tomorrow evening at the Atlantic City Country Club. Other officers being installed are Marty Wlszmer, first vicepresident; Rich Wingate, second vice-president; Kenneth Moore, treasurer; Joe Hartman, secretary, and Bill Mauer, sergeant at arms. Past District Rotary Governor Herb Hecker will be the guest speaker at the club's annual installation banquet. Beginning July 3. the Rotary Club will begin meeting for breakfast 7 a.m. every Thursday at the Port-O-Call Restaurant. The morning meetings will take place until the end of August. OCEAN CITY High School's Commencement Exercises were held at the Recreation Field June 16. The High School Band played "Pomp and Circumstance" during the processional. Reverend Albert E. Aispach of St. John's Lutheran Church gave the invocation. The Graduation Topic was: "It is the journey, not the arrival, that matters". Marguerite Coan Quinn gave the salutatory. Audrey Diane Amicone and Elaine Claire Sueanna Birch were the speakers. Mary Kathleen Gaynor gave the valedictory. HIGH SCHOOL Principal Michael R. Cipriano first presented the members of the Class of 1936 and made the recommendation of the

Class of 1986. School Superintendent Michael M. Subotich made the presentation of the Class of 1986. Board of Education President Donald W. Johnson, with Assistant High School Principals % Harry D. McLaughlin and Edwin L. Woolley presented the diplomas to the graduates. Audrey Diane Amicone. -Catherine Kelly Baker, Elaine Claire Sueanna Birch. Susan Patricia Curran. Mary Kathleen Gaynor, Christina T. Hopson. Jennifer Marie Johnson. Donna Lynne Keucher, Christine Ann Mcllugh, Marguerite Coan Quinn. and Matthew F Schroyer graduated with highest honors and each wore a gold cord and tassel. Kyle Aviston Arnold, David Howard Atwood. Jason A. Baker. Bridget Susan Bell. David William Bruce, Robert William Cacioppo, Michelle Rene' Clark. George E. Dowling IV, Jane Louise Harvey. James Kevin Milligan. Connie Lynn Smith. Stacey Ann Spiegel. Daniel David Sw-ankoski. Susan Lynn Thomas, and Robert Charles Woolley Jr. graduated with honors and each wore a silver cord and tassel. Reverend Aispach gave the benediction The High School Band played "Pomp and Circumstance" during the recessional. Class officers were Mia Annarelli, president; Catherine DeMasi, vice president; Russell Benson. (Page 59 Please)