Freeholders Table Park Concession Contract, Want to Meet DOT on Route 52 Project

CREST HAVEN — Freeholders tabled a five-year lease for the concession at Cape May County Park, Tue., Jan. 25 after an attorney for an opposing bidder raised questions about the award.
Had the resolution been awarded, Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services LLC would have operated the concession at the park as it has been doing for the last several years.
Prior to that, for 14 years, B&N Services, a local, family-owned firm, had operated those concessions, and had.
Villas attorney Richard Wall raised questions about motives of Aramark, a Fortune 500 firm whose owners are a group of Wall Street investors and firms, whose chief aim was profit, he said. B&N Services, his client, he said, had donated “over $300,000 in capital improvements to the Zoological Society. “
Director Daniel Beyel said “Taxpayers were better served” with Aramark’s bid, and that Aramark had operated the concession for the past seven years.
Wall’s questions troubled Freeholders Gerald Thornton and Susan Sheppard, who advocated tabling the resolution until further study on the figures could be made. After discussion, the motion was made to table, and the resolution shelved for further consideration.
Marie Quinn, Aramark’s general manager of the park concession, said that the figures were readily accessible, and always had been for the past eight years.
The resolution, as prepared, would have allowed a lease agreement for concession services based on revenue sharing in the amount of 17 percent up to $1 million in concession sales and 24 percent over $1 million. The lease would have begun on Feb. 1.
While that resolution was tabled, another advocated for tabling by Beyel, which sought closure of Route 52 for the purpose of expediting the completion of the Route 52 bridge and causeway replacement project, was passed.
Beyel said not all stakeholders impacted by the Route 52 project had been informed of the present state of the work by the N.J. Department of Transportation. He added that he spoke earlier in the day with Upper Township Mayor Richard Palombo and Committeeman Jay Newman, and that both knew of the project through reading in newspapers, not by direct DOT contact.
Engineer Dale Foster was asked to arrange a meeting of all 50 or so stakeholders be arranged with the DOT, within seven to 10 days.
Sheppard objected, and cast the lone vote against tabling the resolution.
Daniel Mihal, the Court House resident involved with the petition drive to reduce Shunpike Road’s speed limit and get a traffic signal at Oyster Road at Shunpike, urged freeholders to override an engineer’s report, which will drop the speed limit to 45 mph, and drop it to 40.
He was told criteria had to be met to lower the limit, and to place a traffic signal. Engineer Dale Foster said there was not enough traffic to warrant a light.
Mihal countered the study was done while construction work reduced traffic and was done in winter. Foster said another traffic count would be done in summer, when traffic on the road is heavier.
Sheriff Gary Schaffer delivered his department’s annual report, citing reductions made and revenue generated.
Madeline Filipski lauded the board for its creation of the animal shelter, and noted it was one of the best in the state, especially for its no-kill policy.
For a complete story about the freeholder meeting, see the Herald’s Feb. 2 print edition.