Gazette Leader Newsnotes (11-4-09)

Nov, 21-2009 6:20 pm

Tram cars go Hollywood

WILDWOOD – Locals residents are familiar with the classic recorded warning “Watch the tram car, please!” But how will the phrase play at Hollywood and Vine?

It’s actually at a location a bit closer than Hollywood that one of the Boardwalk tram cars will “star” in a new movie titled “What’s Wrong with Virginia,” featuring Jennifer Connelly and directed by Lance Black, Academy Award winning screenwriter of the movie “Milk.”

Filming is taking place in South Haven, Michigan, and all travel and transportation costs were paid by the production company, said Patrick Rosenello, managing director of Business Districts, Management Corporation.

Boardwalk Special Improvement District employee John Gigliotti was among those who helped transport the tram to location.



Harrassment claims contested

WILDWOOD – In a press release issued Monday, Nov. 2, Mayor Ernie Troiano and Commissioner William Davenport asserted that “[a]llegations of harrassment and retaliation against the Wildwood Police Department by Commissioner Gary DeMarzo have been proven false in a court proceeding.”

In incidents reported this summer, DeMarzo charged that he was issued with two traffic summonses as part of a pattern of political reprisals against him.

The Troiano-Davenport release asserts that in a court proceeding last week in Ocean City (where the summonses were sent in an effort to avoid conflict), “DeMarzo was found guilty of ‘unsafe operation of a motor vehicle’ and was required to pay a fine in excess of $450.” The release does not explain how two summonses resulted in one alleged “finding.”

The release also asserts that “the Wildwood Police Department provided video evidence of DeMarzo’s traffic offenses, as well as testimony from the patrolman who witnessed the violations and issued the summonses.”

Interviewed Tuesday, DeMarzo said the release is “riddled with falsity and slander.”

“There was no hearing; and the retaliation issue was not before that court. If you want to see retaliation, look at that press release, and be very afraid.”

DeMarzo stated that a negotiated plea occurred last week.

“In one sense you could say that I found their case as weak as they found my explanation, and we negotiated a plea,” he said, “and they mischaracterize what happened in that release.”

Wildwood’s three commissioners have been locked in bitter public disputes since DeMarzo first took office in 2007, after a hotly contested race in which he received more votes than the third resident running on the Troiano-Davenport ticket. This year, DeMarzo supported successful efforts triggering the scheduling of special recall elections to be held Dec. 8, asking voters whether Troiano and Davenport should be replaced by others who now have declared their candidacies for their two commission seats.

At presstime, reports were beginning to surface of new claims and lawsuits being contemplated by and against all three commissioners. These will be reported in full in future Leader issues.



Freeholders approve bridge study

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – At last week’s regular county freeholders meeting, freeholders commissioned a $295,000 engineering study of the Beesley’s Point Bridge, intended to help them evaluate whether to go forward and try to repair the badly damaged structure.

Geenman-Pedersen, of Lebanon (N.J.) was awarded the contract to examine mechanical, electrical and structural components of the bridge. The company also will review and incorporate an earlier inspection report in which the state Department of Transportation estimated that repairs could cost as much as $20 million.

Results are expected in several months.

The bridge was closed by its private owners in 2004, and has not operated since that time. Last December, the private owners sold the structure to the county for $1, a deal that was accepted only after the private owners agreed to repay a $900,000 state loan extended in 1997 on the condition that they kept the bridge open for 20 years.



H1N1 clinic was well-attended

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – Some 2,100 H1N1 vaccines were distributed Friday, Oct. 30, to persons attending the vaccine clinic held at the campus of Atlantic Community College, according to Health Department officials.

Long before the clinic opened its doors at 11 a.m., traffic snarled Court House-Dennis Road in front of the long entranceway leading to the college campus. People had begun arriving as early as 5 a.m. to line up for the vaccine.

Several hours into the five-hour clinic, however, lines were proceeding swiftly and traffic had abated.

No immediate plans were announced for the next public clinic, but health officials continued inoculations of schoolchildren in area schools this week, and renewed their commitment to making vaccine available in the near future to all who are interested.

At last week’s clinic, vaccines were given only to those in high priority groups – pregnant women, healthcare workers, anyone 6 months old through 24 years of age, persons 25-64 years old with a chronic medical condition that places them at high risk for influenza complications, and parents or caregivers of infants under 6 months old.



Grammar school dance set for Nov. 7

WILDWOOD CREST – The Wildwood Crest Recreation Department will host a dance for boys and girls in grades 5-8 on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the Crest Pier Recreation Center, 5800 Ocean Ave., in this community.

Admission fee is $5.

For more information, call 523-0202.



Pool pizza party scheduled

WILDWOOD CREST – A pool pizza party will be held for boys and girls in grades 4-8 on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Joseph Von Savage Memorial Pool, 8800 New Jersey Ave., here.

The event, which is sponsored by the Wildwood Crest Recreation Department, will include pizza, beverages, music and pool activities.

Admission fee is $5.

For further information, call 523-0202 or 522-0084.



Wellness matters

THE WILDWOODS – North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest all have enlisted in the New Jersey Mayors’ Wellness Campaign, a program that encourages mayors and other key leaders to promote active-living initiatives in their community.

Last week the City of North Wildwood issued a release noting that it has joined the program, and signaling its approval of the mantra “Put your community in motion.”

The release notes that the city’s Recreation Department offers many varied opportunities for residents to strengthen their bodies, including a state-of-the-art fitness/exercise room, adult basketball and flag football leagues, aerobics, yoga and zumba, events such as runs and marathons, outdoor tennis, bikepaths, “and a long seawall on which walkers and joggers can enjoy ocean views.”

The Mayors’ Wellness Campaign aims to implement healthy recreation program in the hopes of ultimately lowering health care costs for all.