School Board

Four compete for 2 seats on Crest school board
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 28, 2006

WILDWOOD CREST — Shared services versus too much sharing is a central issue in this year's school board elections.

In 2005, Wildwood Crest and Wildwood agreed to share the services of Superintendent Dennis J. Anderson to save administrative costs. Now, the four candidates for school board are looking at what role sharing should play in the school district's future.

Incumbents Judy L. Huber and Frank Accardi are each hoping for a second consecutive term, while Fred Spiewak and Donna Osborn-Long are hoping to return to the board they have served in the past. Two seats are open.

Accardi, 54, is a motel and restaurant owner and is a director on the Boardwalk Basketball Tournament committee.

He said the current board has successfully operated the school and kept spending low, and he pointed to news that the tax rate will remain stable for the coming school year. The rate is expected to be 37 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.

“I feel we've done an excellent job in the last three years saving taxpayer money, and we will continue to do that,” Accardi said.

Accardi said he supports efforts to share services such as purchasing with other districts, but he said local residents will continue to run their school.

He said sharing allows the district to save money in one area, such as administrative costs, and make use of it in the school's educational offerings.

“Regionalization is totally out of the question.” Accardi said. “Crest Memorial will stay Crest Memorial.”

But Accardi is looking ahead to the issue of school enrollment as student populations continue to fall in shore communities throughout the region. Many young families are turning away from resort towns as property values continue to rise.

The district already brings in students on a tuition basis from outside the borough and that will continue to defray some costs, Accardi said.

Huber, 44, is a Wildwood High School graduate and recently sold the retail business she and her husband started in Lower Township. She is now starting a new career in real estate and also coaches youth sports.

“You have to be concerned with the enrollment issue. Where will we be in three to five years?” Huber asked. According to school officials, the school district has an enrollment of 284 students.

Huber said sharing superintendents and other services is a good beginning, but she added, “It helps, but it's not the answer.”

Huber wants to look at ways to cut the budget in areas not directly linked to the classroom, such as reducing heating/air conditioning bills, anything that would allow the district to preserve its strong educational programs.

“The bar for education does not get lowered,” Huber said.

While sharing remains on the table, Huber said she, too, does not support regionalization or joining other school districts. “I believe the community has stated loud and clear they're not for it,” she said.

Osborn-Long, 46, is a learning consultant with the Cape May County Special Services School District and will have two children in the elementary school in the 2006-07 school year.

Osborn-Long said “many good things can come out of shared services,” but some aspects of the school's educational program should not be open for sharing.

For instance, she said, the school should continue to have its own child-study team to ensure students get the attention and continuity they require.

But if sharing is going to continue, “We should go to the voters,” Osborn-Long said.

She said Crest Memorial School has a solid reputation and high test scores and that should be maintained. “I know what a wonderful school Crest Memorial is,” she said.

Fred Spiewak, 48, is president of Licensee Services Inc., a distribution company, and has two children at Crest Memorial School. He is a past board president and has a background in accounting.

Spiewak, who is running with Osborn-Long as a team, said he is concerned that the school board is handing over control of the district by sharing essential services.

“If this is what the community wants, let them tell us. I would put the vote to the people,” Spiewak said.

Spiewak said sharing does not equal a cost savings, and he said he would review all of the school district's inter-local sharing agreements. He said it makes sense to share in some areas, such as in the area of building maintenance, but not educational staff.

“We would take a step back from where they're going,” Spiewak said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Wildwood School Taxes

Wildwood residents likely to pay higher school taxes
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 22, 2006

WILDWOOD — If the school district receives the same amount of state aid that it received in the current school year, the school-tax rate will likely increase 7 cents in the 2006-07 budget, school Business Administrator Sandra Becker said.

Becker and other school officials throughout the state are waiting to hear what those state aid figures will be following Tuesday's budget address by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

“School aid for most districts will be flat,” Corzine told the audience assembled at a joint session of the state Legislature in Trenton.

Becker said she expects to know later in the week how flat the aid will be.

In the 2005-06 school year, Wildwood received $4.34 million in state aid in the general budget along with more than $751,000 in early childhood aid and $427,000 in demonstrably effective aid, both considered special revenues.

If those aid figures stay the same, Wildwood's local tax rate is expected to increase from 46 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation last year to 53 cents in 2006, a 16 percent increase, Becker said.

The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $530 in school taxes, compared to $460 last year.

That would also mean the tax levy, or the amount to be raised by Wildwood taxpayers, would rise to $9.37 million, a $1.36 million increase over last year. Meanwhile, the total budget is expected to jump from $14.96 million to $15.77 million.

Becker said most of that $800,586 increase is due to contractual obligations such as salary, insurance and health-benefit increases. Utility or energy costs are also expected to increase in the coming year.

“It's those big categories. Things the district doesn't have a whole lot of control over,” Becker said.

The district expects to have 882 students from grades pre-kindergarten to 12. There were 857 students in the district as of October 2005, Becker said. The increase is expected in the elementary grades.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for March 29 at the high school.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse

Ready to shine
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 23, 2006

NORTH WILDWOOD — A cool wind was blowing outside the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse on Wednesday as public works crews went about their business tidying the landmark's popular Victorian gardens.

“It's the ‘clean up the pine cone' stage,” joked lighthouse manager Betty Mugnier.

Inside, the lighthouse gift shop was having a sale, as much as 50 percent off to make way for this summer's inventory of lighthouse souvenirs.

At this time of year, the lighthouse sees a trickle of visitors come through its doors, but now is the time the staff begin to prepare for the summer tourist season and the excitement that follows.

Mugnier has worked here since 1998 and the building's popularity has “grown by leaps and bounds,” she said.

An estimated 30,000 people visit the lighthouse each year.

So work begins for the new crop of visitors. Mugnier has ordered new items for the shop — the lighthouse's biggest moneymaker — and she is ready to get her staff back to work leading tours up and around the circa 1874 lighthouse.

Lighthouse commission chairman Paul DiFilippo said he hopes this also may be the last summer that visitors walk through feeling the heat.

The lighthouse, which sits on the inlet on Central Avenue, has undergone several rounds of restoration as architect Hugh McCauley works to return the beacon to its historically accurate former self.

Now, DiFilippo is waiting for phase four to begin. That project, funded by $356,000 in federal and state grants, will include restoration of much of the interior and some behind the scenes work to strengthen the top staircase and upgrade fire safety.

It will also include the addition of a missing veranda and staircase that once graced the exterior.

Mugnier recalled a visit by a local man who asked if she would like to see some pictures of the lighthouse's early days. One showed two men holding a fish, but the fish wasn't the most interesting part of the picture.

It showed the missing veranda, Mugnier said.

The change visitors may notice most, however, will be the addition of air conditioning, which will help preserve the artifacts now housed here.

If all goes as planned, work on phase four could begin this fall.

This year, several events are planned to add to the lighthouse's notoriety and to help with its fundraising. They include the installation of a bronze plaque in June by the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century noting the building's significance and an invitation-only dinner in May at the Abbey Holmes Estate in Clermont.

He said the Friends of the Lighthouse, a non-profit group with about 700 members, will also be expanding its efforts to preserve the lighthouse.

DiFilippo, a real estate broker, said the community must continue to support the lighthouse and strike a balance between development and its history.

“We don't have much history about when this island began. This is a national treasure,” he said.

DiFilippo is also busy trying to get the nearby State Police building turned over for use as a museum to compliment the lighthouse and he is working with the city to preserve open space that might otherwise be developed around the lighthouse.

He is still amazed at how much he continues to learn about the lighthouse.

“It's an ongoing thing. Someone will remember something and bring us pictures of stories about the lighthouse,” he said.

And he expects great things in the coming season.

“I think it's going to be a good year,” DiFilippo said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press: TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Ponderlodge Update

Golf balls, birds may both fly at Ponderlodge
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Thursday, March 16, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 16, 2006

LOWER TOWNSHIP — The state has pretty much ruled out allowing an 18-hole golf course to remain on land it recently purchased for a bird sanctuary in the Villas, but it may allow nine holes.

Administrator John Flynn of the state Green Acres Program told a crowd of more than 200 people at Township Hall on Wednesday night that even with nine holes there would be strict conditions.

“If there is golf we would want it scaled back to a nine-hole course. We would require wastewater be used for irrigation and stringent best-management practices for golf courses be used,” Flynn said. “Any proceeds for golf would roll back into environmental and recreation programs.”

Most of the duffers packing the meeting left feeling pretty good about the compromise: Since the state bought the bankrupt Ponderlodge Golf Course for $8.45 million, there had been talk of managing it for migrating birds with limited recreation.

Flynn said a golf course would be worse for the underground water system than the housing development the purchase prevented. He also noted that golf courses are going bankrupt, and golf course owners are coming to Green Acres seeking help.

But there also is a trend to manage golf courses using less water and pesticides and offer a more natural terrain. The Lower Township sewerage plant is right next door to the Ponderlodge site.

Flynn disputed an argument from Steve Sheftz, who organized civic groups to fight a proposed 409-unit housing development at Ponderlodge, that a bird sanctuary would endanger planes at the Cape May Airport. Flynn said the geese attracted to golf courses pose a bigger threat than migratory birds the sanctuary would draw.

The meeting included statements by many of the civic-group leaders who fought the housing development. The goal was to get state and county funding to buy the course but have the township manage it for golf and recreation. Many felt the state pulled a fast one when it stepped forward and purchased the 239-acre tract.

Flynn said the state took action because developers wanted the property and deadlines were set by the bankruptcy court. Cape May County Deputy Administrator Steve Hampton put this in perspective when he reminded the crowd the primary goal was always preserving the land, and Green Acres did this.

“These are not the bad guys,” Hampton said of Green Acres. “You have 239 acres of preserved land you're not going to have to worry about.”

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, drew cheers when he said he is a golfer, but he urged a compromise for golfers and wildlife. Freeholder Ralph Bakley, a Ponderlodge member for 10 years, agreed.

“I think there's room for both, the nature side of it and the recreational side of it for golfers,” Bakley said.

Flynn, called “a brave man” by Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, for coming to the meeting, surprised everyone when he said the Ponderlodge owner approached Green Acres in 1996. This made it clear Green Acres has been interested for a long time.

Flynn said there is room for recreation — indeed, it is one reason Green Acres exists — but he noted the state also knows the significance of the location for migrating birds and how it could provide critical habitat.

“We don't want it open just for the golfing community. We want to enhance habitat. Together we preserved that property. We achieved that and should be celebrating it,” Flynn said.

The bulk of the meeting included individuals testifying that the township needs cheap recreation because of a large population, low per-capita incomes, many seniors and a major shortage of recreation acres.

“With 25,000 residents we should have 250 acres of land and we have 40,” said Steve Morey, who heads the town's Recreation Advisory Board.

Ponderlodge golfer Jane Senico noted the Cape May County's large senior population compared to that of other counties with multiple golf courses. She said many can't afford golf at privately owned courses.

To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press:RDegener@pressofac.com

Crest Taxes up Slightly

Crest faces slight hike in school-tax rate
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 15, 2006

WILDWOOD CREST — The school-tax rate is likely to increase about a half-cent under the school district's 2006-07 budget.

That would bring the rate to 37.2 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation compared to 36.8 cents in the previous year.

The tax bill on a $100,000 property would increase from $368.45 last year to $372.30.

In a statement issued Tuesday, School Superintendent Dennis J. Anderson said the $5.97 million budget holds the line on spending while maintaining current educational programs.

Anderson said the district is still waiting to learn how much state aid it will receive and whether the amount of aid will remain flat or be decreased. “We built this budget anticipating a decrease in state aid. Hopefully that will not happen, and we can reduce the local levy,” he said.

As proposed, the budget makes use of slightly more than $5 million in taxpayer money, up from $4.8 million in the 2005-06 spending plan.

Anderson credited the school board's “frugal management” with making it possible to maintain the school's existing programs. He said that no additional staff positions are planned.

“Inflation accounts for the increase in our budget,” Anderson said. He pointed to the rising cost of utilities, tuition, salaries and insurance.

He continued, “We are committed to providing programs of study, activities and facilities that are diversified and flexible, so that all children will benefit from their school experience.”

A public hearing will be held March 28 at Crest Memorial School.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

High Rise Hotel

Wildwood OKs two-block-long high-rise hotel
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 15, 2006

WILDWOOD — The Zoning Board has approved a high-rise hotel that features two towers and covers nearly two city blocks.

The project by Riviera Holding Co., LLC, includes one tower that will feature 67 hotel rooms, 138 residential units, 2,000 square feet of retail space, a pool and a health club. A second tower includes 50 hotel rooms, 128 residential units, 2,640 square feet of retail space, a pool, health club, a juice bar and a spa.

One tower will border Ocean, Spicer and Spencer avenues, while the second will stretch from Atlantic to Ocean avenues between Spencer and Youngs avenues. The 240-foot hotel, which will sit in the city's hotel/motel zone, replaces several existing properties including one of the two buildings that make up the AA Heart of Wildwood Motel and the Riviera Resort Motel.

Six Zoning Board members approved the project in a unanimous vote Monday.

Board member Todd Kieninger said he welcomed the first-floor retail space that will front Ocean and Atlantic avenues and enhance retail options in the area.

Kieninger added that one of the towers features an indoor pool, which is an amenity that the year-round guests the city is trying to draw will appreciate.

While the new construction means the end of a couple of the city's older motels, Kieininger said the hotel rooms more than makeup for the number of lost rooms.

“We are adding rental units to the pool,” he said, likening the arrangement to similar projects in major metropolitan areas such as New York City.

The residential rooms, at the choice of the individual owners, will be placed in a rental pool just like the motel rooms.

Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., who has long supported bringing high-rise hotels to the island, said the city will continue to see new high-rise projects as long as the market can sustain them.

“These people are investing hundreds of millions of dollars. Someone's not going to build if the market is saturated,” Troiano said.

While some oppose demolition of the small motels that the Wildwoods are known for, Troiano said many of those motels have seen better days and were not well-maintained.

“They outlived there usefulness,” he said.

He expects designs for the towering high-rises that will replace them to become Wildwood's new signature.

“Some people don't think change is for the better. I think it is,” Troiano said.

The Riviera project belongs to East Sussex Holding LLC and Pro Re Developers Wildwood 1 LLC. Among the principles is former professional football player Bart Oates, Garry J. Merritt and Gallagher Family Holdings LLC.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Code Problems

Progress made on settling Widlwoods code problems
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 15, 2006

WILDWOOD — An agreement has been reached on how to fix fire-code related construction problems at the Schooner Bay Condominiums on West Hand Avenue.

The resolution is what attorney Glenn P. Callahan, representing the Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods, or JCOW, hopes will be the model for resolving similar troubles affecting about 500 individual units across the island.

On Feb. 10, owners of those units were told that their properties were incorrectly designated and then inspected under the wrong construction code. That meant fire-suppression systems and other requirements that should have been part of their construction were missing.

On Tuesday, Callahan said JCOW, the developer and the Schooner Bay Condominium Association had reached an agreement on how to fix the problem at that property, meaning those 16 units can be made compliant with state building codes.

In Schooner Bay's case, a product called No Burn will be sprayed into the rafters to bring the building's fire suppression ratings up to code and a layer of fire-rated sheetrock will be added to meet fire separation standards between the units.

Callahan said the improvements, barring any objection from the state Department of Community Affairs, should then meet the requirements of the local code official who can grant a variance and designate them as up to code.

In February, JCOW filed a lawsuit, naming Schooner Bay in particular, and asked a judge to decide who is responsible for making the needed repairs, but Callahan said the goal was to solve as many issues in as many units as possible before the lawsuit proceeds.

Clare Herm, president of Schooner Bay's condominium association, said Tuesday that 15 of the 16 unit owners approved the repairs.

“We just want it resolved,” Herm said, adding the issue has been a problem since June 2005.

Herm credited the developer, architect and JCOW with working to find a solution, but she noted that the association will not pick up the cost of the repairs.

Meanwhile, Callahan said a March 25 meeting between the condominium associations, the developers, architects and building officials should be helpful in finding solutions to the violations in the other affected buildings.

City Fire Official Capt. Mark Gose said the city's fire inspectors are noting the problems in their reports, but it is up to local construction officials to resolve the matter on a building by building basis.

“It really comes under their jurisdiction,” he said, noting the problems range from buildings that are missing exit signs to missing firewalls and sprinkler systems.

“Some of the solutions are simple, but there can't be a single solution that solves every problem,” Gose said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

West Wildwood Taxes Up

West Wildwood school-tax rate up in budget plan
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

WEST WILDWOOD — The school tax rate is expected to increase about 3.5 cents under the district's 2006-07 budget.

The district does not operate a school, so the increase is primarily due to rising tuition costs for the borough's students, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary Rosemarie Millar said Monday.

The borough sends its children to North Wildwood's Margaret Mace School and Wildwood High School, as well as the county's technical high school.

The town expects to send 11 students to the high school in the next school year.

Millar, who works part-time for the district, said tuition for West Wildwood's estimated 65 students, grades pre-kindergarten to 12, will jump from $1,099,515 for the 2005-06 school year to $1,128,247 for the 2006-07 school budget.

“(The cost of tuition) definitely does concern us, but it is something we have to contend with as a sending district,” said school board President Stephen Cava.

Cava noted that the borough has some input in North Wildwood's decision-making because the town's students make up at least 10 percent of that school's population.

Meanwhile, the total budget comes to $1,177,141, including transportation and administrative costs. Cava said the district must also pay tuition it owes for previous years when West Wildwood underpaid.

According to the Cape May County Board of Taxation, the borough's school-tax rate was 50.2 cents last school year and the new rate should be about 53.5 cents. County Tax Administrator George R. Brown III said the borough's current value, which will be finalized next week, is $206 million.

Millar said the amount to be raised by taxes comes to $1,106,083 for the upcoming school year, compared to $1,010,280 in the previous school year.

Voters will be asked to support the budget April 18 during the annual school board elections.

One seat on the school board is also open, but no candidate met the filing deadline to appear on the ballot.

Cava urged residents to attend board meetings, which are held the fourth Tuesday of every month at Borough Hall.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Wildwood Signs

Wildwood gets the go-ahead sign from CRDA
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

WILDWOOD — The city has signed an agreement with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to accept $300,000 for construction of a series of decorative signs along the city's Rio Grande Avenue corridor.

Redevelopment director Lou Ferrara said the money will be combined with funds from the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority set aside to add an electronic gateway sign at Rio Grande Avenue, an entryway sign on the Boardwalk and convention center and informational signs along the busy street.

“We've already seen the rendering. It's pretty cool,” Ferrara said.

The project has been on the drawing board for quite some time and will have to stay there a little longer because the project has to go out to bid again.

John Siciliano, the authority's executive director, said three bids were received recently. The low bid was missing one of the requirements of the bid specifications and the other two were at least $250,000 more than the $900,000 set aside to pay for the project. A total of $1,050,000 is budgeted with the additional $150,000 coming from a sponsorship.

Siciliano said the project will be rebid, but any work would not begin until after the summer tourists are on their way home.

Work could then begin this fall and be completed by the spring of 2007, he said.

In other business, the city is advertising for bids to clean up the soil around a home it owns in Middle Township. The property was sold as part of a conservation project, but the city must first rid the property of contamination from a leaking fuel tank.

Wildwood and its water utility sold 382 acres adjacent to the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge off Route 47 in Middle Township to The Conservation Fund, based in Arlington, Va.

The group purchased it for nearly $2 million as part of its mission to permanently protect wildlife habitat, wetlands and recreation lands in one of the country's top birding areas

Gary J. Ziegler, director of the Wildwood Water Utility, said the leak did not affect neighboring wells used by the utility or water quality.

“There was a limited amount of contamination on the top soil,' he said, noting the wells are several hundred below ground.

The city also approved a $500,000 bond ordinance to fund water-utility projects such as meter replacement, well and pump repairs, vehicle purchases and water-main replacement.

A vote on the ordinance to bond $3.5 million for a community center at Maxwell Field was delayed.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

North Wildwood Taxes Drop

North Widlwood school-tax rate drops with reval
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

NORTH WILDWOOD — The effect of this year's dramatic decrease in the school-tax rate will vary from house to house due to the city's recent revaluation.

The rate under the proposed 2006-07 school budget comes to 18.1 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. Last year's school tax rate was 72.5 cents.

But School Business Administrator/Board Secretary Mary Ott said it is difficult to make comparisons to last year because of the town's new values.

“There's a lot of confusion in town,” Ott said, adding, “The whole town quadrupled (in value).”

The city's ratable base has topped $3 billion. Prior to the revaluation, it was valued at $866 million.

Ott noted that the school tax bill for a $100,000 house was $725 last year, which is about the same as the bill for a $400,000 home this year.

The amount to be raised by taxes, including money for the general fund and debt service, comes to $6.1 million.

Meanwhile, the actual budget comes to $8.9 million, an increase of $260,708 over the previous year.

It does not include any additional programs and provides for increases in salaries, tuition and other annual expenses.

The school estimates it will have 325 to 350 students next school year. On Oct. 15, 2005, there were 296 students, but that number has increased to 325 now, Ott said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Wildwood Crest Building Ordinance

Wildwood Crest wants building boom to continue, but more quietly
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

WILDWOOD CREST — The construction boom will continue in Wildwood Crest, but not on Sundays.

Borough Commission has introduced an ordinance that will allow construction to continue through the summer Mondays through Saturdays. In the past, construction was banned on both Saturdays and Sundays.

“It's more realistic, and there is still one day of rest for the residents,” said Borough Clerk Kevin Yecco.

Demolition and pile driving, however, are still prohibited in the summer, Yecco said.

The changes are part of a series of alterations to the town's construction-site regulations.

Construction will be allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday as well as on designated holidays, Yecco said.

The ordinance also specifies rules for keeping construction sites that require they be kept free of trash and debris. Penalties for violating sections of the ordinance range from $100 to $2,500 per day.

The borough is also moving forward with plans to challenge construction of a residential condominium complex at the site of the Bayview Inn.

Yecco said the commission authorized engineer Ralph Petrella to compile a report on the building plan and its permitting issues.

Borough Commission has also asked solicitor Doreen Corino to come up with a short list of attorneys who could take on the case for the borough as special counsel. The cost of hiring an additional attorney has not been determined.

In addition, the borough is waiting for news on its application to the Cape May County Open Space Board for money to purchase the home of the town's first mayor, Philip Baker.

The home is being sold for about $1.5 million, and the borough hopes to buy it to preserve the Pacific Avenue home.

Commissioner Don Cabrera said the measure was tabled on the board's agenda and he has received no other information on the project's status.

Meanwhile, Yecco said the town is looking for alternative funding sources such as state grants.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Doo-Wop Wildwood

Doo-Wop Revival
by Warren Hynes

When Robert Hentges started his sign business in Wildwood, N.J., in 1964, most of his work involved designing and installing the large flashing neon signs that attracted motorists to motels along the southern New Jersey shore.

Today, his son, Randy, carries on the neon tradition in Wildwood (pop. 5,211), North Wildwood (4,801) and Wildwood Crest (3,862), thanks in large part to local efforts to preserve and celebrate the region’s glitzy architectural style.
“Neon glass-blowing is difficult to learn, but once you have it mastered, it’s pretty easy,” says Randy, 40, owner of ABS Sign Co.

Over the years, the Hentgeses have created and serviced hundreds of neon signs for motels, restaurants and shops in the seaside resort communities collectively known as the Wildwoods. The towns, located along a seven-mile stretch of beach, contain a peculiar and stunning array of modernist architecture featuring pulsing neon signs, angular roof lines, bright colors and plastic palm trees.

In the Wildwoods, the flashy architecture of the mid-20th century has been dubbed “Doo Wop” after the popular 1950s musical style. And with business owners and nostalgic residents leading the way, a powerful movement is afoot to preserve and build upon the area’s kitschy, postwar architecture. In fact, the towns now feature Doo-Wop motel tours, Doo- Wop-themed building renovations and a 1950s music festival.

“We just want to keep what three or four generations have enjoyed,” says Dan MacElrevey, 64, president of the 125-member Doo Wop Preservation League.
“Doo-Wop” architecture is not easy to define. With its big, bold signs and daring designs, it dabbles in different architectural styles and features everything from boomerang-shaped roofs to faux-lava facades. Still, the objective is basically to attract the attention of passing motorists.

As Americans drove their cars to vacation spots in the 1950s and ’60s, the Wildwoods offered more than 250 roadside motels from which to choose. If you wanted cars to pull into your motel, you had to stand out—thus, the emphasis on unique names, signage, colors and building designs. The result was motels celebrating the Space Age (the Satellite), exotic locations (the Singapore), other resort areas (the Cape Cod) and the automobile itself (the Bel Air).

Vacationers flocked to the Wildwoods, as did the nation’s rock ’n’ roll icons. It was a tour stop for pop stars such as Bill Haley and the Comets, Chubby Checker, Buddy Holly and Bobby Rydell, who celebrated the area with the 1963 hit Wildwood Days.

“You name it, they played here,” says Ernie Troiano Jr., Wildwood’s mayor.
Atlantic City now dominates the Jersey Shore entertainment business, but tourists still come to the Wildwoods for its wide beaches, dazzling boardwalk and funky motels. People still want to see the rotating lighthouse atop the Cape Cod Inn Motel, or stay in their favorite room inside the Singapore Motel’s pagoda.

The Wildwood-based Doo Wop Preservation League was founded in 1997 when a group of local business owners and residents sought to preserve and expand upon the towns’ glitzy architecture. Local businessman Jack Morey asked Philadelphia-based architect Steve Izenour to study the motels. Izenour and a group of university students found that the Wildwoods boast the nation’s largest collection of mid-century commercial architecture. His advice: Celebrate and accentuate the towns’ kitsch. Motel owners heeded his counsel, leading to new and creative neon signs for Randy Hentges to design and more orders for plastic palm trees and retro furniture.

Today, a new convention center welcomes boardwalk visitors with an angular roof, curved entranceway and neon signature; a Doo Wop museum, featuring vintage furniture, neon and street signs from the 1950s, is being developed thanks to a combination of community activism and corporate support; and last October, Chubby Checker headlined the second-annual Fabulous ’50s music festival.

“It’s part of the culture and character of Wildwood—the plastic palm trees and neon,” says Tom Byrne, a lifelong Wildwoods resident whose family insurance business is paying for museum construction. “Driving down Ocean Avenue, you can fantasize you’re in Las Vegas.”

Visit www.doowopusa.org or call (609) 729-4000.
Warren Hynes is a freelance writer in North Plainfield, N.J.

Ponderloge Tract

Audubon opposes golf course on Cape site
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Thursday, March 9, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 9, 2006

LOWER TOWNSHIP — The New Jersey Audubon Society is going on the offensive against turning the 239-acre Ponderlodge tract into a public golf course.

Eric Stiles, the society's Vice-President for Conservation, said in an interview this week that golf courses are too environmentally unsound to be on lands managed by the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife. The bankrupt Ponderlodge Golf Course was recently bought by the state Green Acres Program with the intention to turn it over to the division to manage.

“It's not the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Golfing,” Stiles said. “It's the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Stiles said golf courses “pump tons of water” and use toxic chemicals that “turn male frogs into female frogs.” He said the golf course now is a “biological wasteland,” but the division would turn it into a “wildlife oasis.”

Stiles said the society, which has 23,000 members in the state, including 3,000 in the 1st Legislative District that includes the township, will oppose local civic groups that want a public golf course on the property.

The society supports a Fish and Wildlife proposal to turn the tract into a bird sanctuary and public park. Stiles said he would even support active recreational uses such as bicycle riding and not just passive recreation such as nature observation. A park, Stiles said, could be used by everybody, while most people do not play golf.

“I'm middle class. I can't afford to go to a golf course, but I can take my kids to the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge or the Forsythe Refuge.”

“I'm asking for a park for people and at no cost to the residents. If somebody comes to your home for Christmas dinner, parks a Cadillac in your driveway and gives you the keys, you don't yell at them for not bringing a bottle of wine,” Stiles said.

The offensive comes a week before a public meeting where the future of the Ponderlodge tract will be discussed by local civic groups and state lawmakers, including Republican state Sen. Nicholas Asselta and Democratic Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, both of whom represent Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic. The meeting is at 7 p.m. March 15 at Township Hall in the Villas.

Mayor Walt Craig and 12 local civic groups, representing more than 4,000 people, are pushing for a public golf course. Craig hopes to get township revenue from a public course and have affordable green fees, perhaps $35 in winter and $55 in summer, which is much cheaper than most area courses.

“My first goal is to have it still maintained as a golf course with the understanding we bring in a professional to run it. There is an 18-hole golf course there that people are used to playing,” Craig said.

A park and birding area would increase local property values and bring money into the local economy, Stiles argues. While “the golf trend” is declining, Stiles said, nature-based tourism is increasing rapidly.

He also notes the property, because it is within the southern 10 kilometers of Cape May County, an internationally famous area for migrating birds, would be a key acquisition for wildlife. People would come to see this wildlife.

“It is truly a field of dreams. Build it and they will come. It's a home run for wildlife and the local economy,” Stiles said.

Craig is not convinced. He said birders by and large stay in Cape May and eat their meals in the Victorian resort, even if they would drive to Ponderlodge to bird.

“Maybe they will run to Papa John's for a pizza and make Ernie happy,” Craig joked, referring to Papa John's owner, Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano.

The mayor, however, has a back-up plan. If the state will not allow golf, he at least wants the Ponderlodge core area — which includes a clubhouse, lake and Olympic-sized swimming pool — for a municipal park and conference center. He would also like to open a new entrance to Cape May Beach residents.

Asselta said he is coming to next Wednesday's meeting to listen.

“The meeting is to find out where everybody wants to be on this. The reason we want a meeting is to nail down the public usage,” Asselta said.

Van Drew said he doubts a public golf course will happen unless Cape May County decides it wants one. Van Drew had supported preserving the property and now that that is done, he wants to hear the consensus on what to do with it.

“If we have everybody on the same page, we will throw some weight to try and do that,” Van Drew said.

To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press:RDegener@pressofac.com

Diamond Beach developer buys Pier 6600 Motor Inn

Developer buys Cape motel for resort project
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Thursday, March 9, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 9, 2006

LOWER TOWNSHIP — Diamond Beach developer Eustace Mita has purchased the Pier 6600 Motor Inn and plans eventually to turn the oceanfront site into part of his $250 million Grand Resort and Spa project.

Mita, reached on his cell phone Wednesday afternoon while he was on a commercial airliner, said he would operate Pier 6600 as a hotel for several more years. Eventually. it will be demolished and become the second phase of his project.

“It's a great piece. It really completes the whole puzzle,” Mita said.

The first phase, which recently got local approvals but still needs a state environmental permit, is to tear down the old Grand Hotel and build a 12-story structure that will contain 125 condominium units. The units are already being marketed in a price range from $899,000 to $4 million.

Mita said the second phase of the project is three to five years away. Mita did not want to disclose the purchase price from owners Charles and Margaret Masciarella but said it was “tens of millions of dollars.” Besides the hotel, the purchase also includes the beachfront.

Although Mita credited the Masciarellas with taking great care of the hotel, he said 1970s-era buildings, including The Grand, don't fit in with all the new construction in Diamond Beach.

“I'm excited. The Pier and The Grand are the only buildings that did not add to the beauty of Diamond Beach.

By tearing down The Grand and doing something with the Pier, you'll have buildings no older than 1984 and 1985. It's the beautification of Diamond Beach,” Mita said.

The Grand Resort and Spa project still needs a state Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit. Mita hopes to begin the demolition of the old Grand Hotel by May 1.

Mita said he had been trying to buy Pier 6600 for three years and finally closed on the deal about three weeks ago.

Reval in North Wildwood

Reval raises ire in North Wildwood
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 8, 2006

NORTH WILDWOOD — Hundreds of frustrated taxpayers packed the Community Center on Tuesday night looking for answers from City Council.

Many came from out-of-state, some even came by bus, and all were eager to know what they could do to fight what they believe are unfair assessments of their properties.

None had a good word to say about Tyler Technologies/CLT Divison, the company which performed the city's revaluation, and some had what the applause indicated was the only real solution.

“I think we should throw them out and start all over again,” property owner Ron Shelly said to a round of applause.

The city has withheld its final payment to the company, which has a $450,000 contract with the city to complete the revaluation. City officials added that Tyler was the lone company to bid on the revaluation and was authorized by the state to conduct revaluations.

Shelly said the process has been fraught with problems, including the unsatisfactory informal meetings between property owners and Tyler, and news that those same owners can meet with Tyler again.

“Aren't we all excited?” Shelly joked.

“Everybody's heads are spinning (over the process),” Shelly said. He recalled instances where one owner was credited for having a cottage on his property. It was a storage shed. Others were assessed for having homes with heat that in fact stay cold all winter long, he said.

Following the revaluation, the city's value jumped from $866 million to about $3.35 billion. Most property owners saw their values jump, many of them more than four times their previous value.

Shelly said real estate sales appear to be slowing down, and owners are being penalized for the past boom in the market.

“We're paying for what happened,” he said.

Joe Brennan, another property owner, said the new values and the tax increases that would follow were changing the face of the city.

The city's tax rate is expected to drop from a total of $2.56 per $100 of assessed property valuation to 70 cents, but what individual taxpayers pay will vary.

“Do you realize you are forcing out some of the people that built this island,” Brennan asked City Council.

Brennan said he met with Tyler twice, once for his property and then for his mother's. One was assessed at $736,000. He argued it was too high and Tyler agreed, he said.

Brennan expected to receive word of a reduction. Instead, his assessment went up some more.

Council President Patrick Rosenello and Mayor Bill Henfey did offer some answers for many of the issues raised, particularly involving the appeal process conducted by the Cape May County Board of Taxation.

Owners can meet a second time with Tyler, as well as the local tax assessor, and if the two sides come to an agreement the city will reimburse property owners for the appeal filing fee which ranges from $25 to $100.

The deadline to file an appeal with the county is April 3 because April 1, the normal deadline date, falls on a Saturday.

County Tax Administrator George R. Brown III said Tuesday that 1,743 people participated in the first round of informal reviews with Tyler. So far, 40 people have filed formal appeals with the county.

Another taxpayer, Marge Schernecke, said she was looking for consistency.

Schernecke, unofficial leader of a new Wildwood Taxpayers Association, said she was shocked the city had no plan that would have made the revaluation and its aftermath easier for all involved.

The revaluations and the process itself have been “full of errors and mistakes,” she said.

As the evening went on, some of the group started to head home, many promising to be on the phone with Tyler or the local tax assessor the next day.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

North Wildwood Beach

North Wildwood receives $3.8M for beach fill
e-published 3/3/2006 - Wildwood Leader

NORTH WILDWOOD -- Mayor Bill Henfey announced Friday the confirmation of a $3.8 million state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grant for a beach fill project from Second to 26th avenues.

The money will come from the DEP’s Shore Protection Stable Funding Program and will cover 75 percent of the total project costs.

With the city responsible for engineering design and permit drawings, the DEP’s Bureau of Coastal Engineering will provide assistance with the Army Corps of Engineers, permit applications and on-site inspection.

City Council President Patrick Rosenello is optimistic about the project.

“The process has been long, but with all of the agencies working together, we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

The finished project calls for 6,900 feet of shoreline replenishment that will include the creation of a storm protection berm.

Henfey is happy with this most recent grant, which caps off a three-year shoreline protection endeavor by the city.

“We’re a city that is known for our beautiful beaches and this project will benefit our community for years to come,” he said. “This latest grant brings the total participation from the state to more than $7 million, which is a major commitment to our city and the people who live and earn their living here.”

A permit processing meeting is scheduled this week in Trenton and Henfey plans to be there.

“Patrick Rosenello, city administrator Ray Townsend, city engineer Ralph Petrella and I will all be there to make sure we expedite the process and get going on this project,” he said.

New Construction

A new dawn for Crest motel as condos
Pair's experience with motel helps redesign property
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Sunday, March 5, 2006
Updated: Sunday, March 5, 2006

WILDWOOD CREST — Long before Joseph Pirri could talk or walk he was spending summers at the New Jersey shore.

"My mother's been bringing me down (to the Wildwoods) since I was 5 months old," Pirri, now 61, recalled.

His wife, Alice Pirri, soon joined in, coming to the Wildwoods with her husband since they wed in 1975.

Not long after, in 1977, the couple, along with Joseph Pirri's parents, Adele and Carmen, carried on a family tradition of not only visiting but working on the island when they bought the Cavalier Resort Motel on East Toledo Road and the beach.

Pirris have operated rooming houses or motels on the island since the 1940s.

"We worked so hard at it as a business. We raised four kids there. The beach was their playground," Alice Pirri said.

But while the motel was a part of their lives for so long, Joseph Pirri said the couple saw what was going on around them as the island's motels make way for new high-priced condominium complexes.

"You can't build a new motel with all the conveniences people want and make it affordable," Joseph Pirri said.

So, the couple decided their 42-unit motel, built in 1966, had run its course and they started looking around for what to do next. They decided to take advantage of the motel's prime beachfront location and have received the last of the approvals needed to build a luxury 18-unit condominium complex called Aurora Condominiums.

While the Pirri children, now grown, will miss their childhood home, the couple is ready to make the change.

"I had no qualms about it. It was 24 hours a day from May to September. It was a lot of work," Joseph Pirri said of running the seasonal business.

"And we'll still be in the same place," Alice Pirri added, explaining they plan to keep one unit for themselves.

The simple, but neatly kept motel rooms of the Cavalier are being replaced with units that come with as much as 3,361 square feet of living space, most with four bedrooms, plus roomy balconies and private garages.

The largest unit comes in at 4,536 square feet including the garage and balcony space and is priced at just over $3 million. The least expensive unit is priced at $1.39 million.

"We didn't want it to be like all the typical condos. We came up with the idea of private residences that won't have the hustle and bustle of the weekly turnovers of rentals. Space on the beachfront is limited and the beachfront should be premium," Alice Pirri said.

Architect Rhett Jones of RHJ Associates in King of Prussia, Pa., designed the seven story building that will be made of reinforced concrete and come with hurricane shutters, curved, private balconies, a swimming pool, fitness center and other amenities.

Buyers can customize their kitchens and bathrooms, while standard features include ocean views, fireplace hook-ups, security systems and 9-foot ceilings.

What also distinguishes the property is experience, according to the Pirris.

They were able to draw on their 29 years as motel operators in the design phase.

"We've lived on the oceanfront. We know what salt air can do. That's why we have the private garages and materials made to last in this environment," Alice Pirri said.

That first-hand knowledge means they know which light fixtures will last and the building materials ideal for a spot so close to the Atlantic Ocean.

"We've lived through it. We've been through hurricanes. We know which way the wind blows," Alice Pirri said.

The couple believes their experience is essential to the building's success.

"We had a couple of calls from investors and real estate developers. We'd get calls asking, 'Is the Cavalier for sale?'" Alice Pirri said.

But they believed the work should be done by people familiar with the area and the environment.

They started the work in 2003, survived the state's arduous permitting process, and just won the last state approvals through the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, or CAFRA, process on Feb. 10.

"We wanted it to be a notch above," Joseph Pirri said.

"If you make something ugly …," Alice Pirri said. "It's going to stay there," her husband said as he completed the thought.

And while some mourn the loss of the island's doo-wop motels of the 1950s and 1960s, the Pirris, who support the creation of the island's doo-wop museum, say there are ways to remember the past while moving forward.

They donated the motel's neon signs along with some paneling from the motel to the Doo Wop Preservation League.

Telling their longtime guests that the motel was closing was probably the hardest part of the process, Alice Pirri said.

"We sent letters in November telling them and so many sent cards and letters. Some asked for our address, they just wanted to send us Christmas cards," she said.

Joseph Pirri said the guests were the biggest part of the business.

"If they wanted room 110, they got room 110," he said.

And the Pirris are happy to help their longtime guests save a piece of Cavalier history as the motel goes through the last phases of demolition.

"I've got to go down there today," Joseph Pirri said during a recent interview. "A woman from Reading asked me to send her some bricks from the building."

The Pirris expect the Aurora Condominiums to be ready for occupancy in spring 2007.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:

TGilfillian@pressofac.com

Ponderlodge Golf Course

Cape golf course goes to birds for open space
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711
Atlantic City Press
Published: Friday, March 3, 2006
Updated: Friday, March 3, 2006

LOWER TOWNSHIP — Weekend duffers here at the Ponderlodge Golf Course used to line up putts hoping for birdies, but those closely cropped greens soon may turn to rough for an entirely different kind of birdie.

The birdie the state Division of Fish and Wildlife envisions catering to is the kind that flies in during a long-distance migration.

The state Wednesday closed the deal to purchase the course for $8.45 million. On Thursday, John Watson, deputy commissioner for natural resources at the state Department of Environmental Protection, released new details on plans for the 239-acre tract.

“We purchased it primarily for its habitat value, to create grasslands and savannahs and to protect woodlands for migrating birds. It will be a nice new initiative to convert a golf course to natural habitat. This will be a first for us,” Watson said.

It may be a first, but it probably won't be the last. Watson said the department has its eye on other golf courses. Golf enjoyed a surge in popularity a few years ago, but some would argue too many courses were built. Bird watching, meanwhile, is enjoying a similar surge in popularity.

The Cape May birding community, which has been known to go long distances just to see a rare species, is excited about such a large tract so close to home.

“We'll venture all over to where things are found, and Ponderlodge is close. It's a perfect destination for birdwatchers, nature walks and nature photography,” said Patricia Sutton, program director for the N.J. Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory.

Sutton already has been into Ponderlodge for a field trip she does on the biggest trees in Cape May County. Many are in Ponderlodge. She said some oaks are 300 years old.

“It's good habitat with big trees. It's yesteryear. It's old Cape May back there,” Sutton said.

The deal does not sit well with everybody. The township applied for Green Acres funding hoping to turn the site into a public golf course and park. That was before Green Acres decided to buy the tract itself and turn into over to Fish and Wildlife to manage. Mayor Walt Craig said the state even encouraged township officials and civic groups to pressure the county to help fund the acquisition, and indeed, they did heavily lobby the county freeholders.

“I'm extremely disappointed in the way the state handled the entire transaction. Promises were made that were not kept,” Craig said.

The mayor is hoping for at least a portion of the site for a township recreation facility. He had even thought about moving the township's recreation operation to a big clubhouse at Ponderlodge and then giving the police the current recreation center in the Villas.

“At least they could offer us a portion of the land,” Craig said.

Green Acres Administrator John Flynn said the state wants to work with both the county and the township.

“We're not closing out any possibilities at this point,” Flynn said.

Watson said the primary objective as far as human use is to make Ponderlodge a “wildlife viewing destination,” but he added that the DEP is not opposed to other types of recreation on portions of the property.

Craig also is upset about losing a ratable worth $103,503 in taxes last year. The township faces a 10 percent tax hike this year and he had hoped to get income from a public golf course.

Flynn noted there will be a payment from the state in lieu of taxes. It will be 100 percent of the tax bill the first year and the payment will decline 7 percent per year for 13 years. After that, another program kicks in that pays the township $2 per acre. That program pays based on the percentage of land preserved in a municipality. The township is at 19.54 percent. If it can get above 20 percent, the payment would increase to $5 per acre.

“Dennis Township is 48 percent preserved, and we pay them $10 an acre,” Flynn said.

The deal also could fend off some water-supply issues. Flynn said Ponderlodge was operating without a state water allocation permit.

There is some good financial news to come out of the deal. Ponderlodge was in bankruptcy and owed back taxes. Township Manager Kathy McPherson said a check for $291,983.77 arrived shortly after the Green Acres deal closed.

To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press:

RDegener@pressofac.com

North Wildwood Property Owners

N. Wildwood hopes to ease burden on property owners
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2006

NORTH WILDWOOD — City leaders are hoping to give local property owners a reprieve.

The deadline to file a tax appeal with the Cape May County Board of Taxation is April 1, but homeowners are encouraged to meet with local Tax Assessor Joseph Gallagher first before taking their disputes to the county level.

The problem, Councilman Joseph Duncan said, is there are too many unhappy owners and too little time to meet with the local tax assessor before April 1.

“It's an expensive proposition to go to the county. We want people to have time before they have to take that step,” he said.

The concern about the tax appeal deadline was among the many issues addressed Monday at a meeting of North Wildwood property owners who first met in January.

“We had another 300 people,” organizer Marge Schernecke said.

She said many owners received second notices on their property assesements and most were still dissatisfied with their property assessments.

The group, named the Wildwoods Taxpayers Association, plans to bring a couple of bus loads of people to next week's City Council meeting to voice concerns about the appeal process.

Duncan and Councilman Robert Maschio both attended the meeting in Philadelphia.

Maschio said he told the audience the city is completing its 2006 budget and the tax rate will likely be 70 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation, down from last year's total tax rate of $2.56. Maschio noted that the figure could change before the final budget is adopted.

He added the city is talking with the county, Tyler Technologies/CLT Division, the revaluation company, and local officials to resolve the issue of the new assessments and pending appeals.

Meanwhile, Schernecke said news that the Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods, or JCOW, sent violation notices to at least 500 condominium units because they were improperly inspected was also on the meeting's agenda.

On Tuesday, JCOW attorney Glenn P. Callahan issued a formal statement about those notices. Callahan said JCOW will suspend any fines which would otherwise accompany the violations, and it has eliminated any time requirements for filing an appeal. JCOW is also submitting an amended lawsuit that will be more detailed.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:

TGilfillian@pressofac.com