Residents Told of Triathlon’s Route; Merchant Cites Ordinance’s Impact

VILLAS – Steve Del Monte of DELMO Sports addressed Lower Township Council meeting May 16 to brief residents on this year’s “Escape the Cape” triathlon scheduled for June 12. Del Monte explained that this is the fourth annual triathlon that hosts athletes from 42 states, twice the number of states represented last year. 
Del Monte announced that all Lower and Cape May City residents will receive a personal notification through the mail two weeks prior to the event to ensure that everyone knows street closures and times that may impact their daily routines. 
Nearby residents along the route of the event will receive additional information via the U.S. mail as well, as they did last year. This year’s route will be identical to last year’s that proved to be a successful decision.
Councilman Thomas Conrad announced that the MUA Villas East project will begin in June, and is projected to last until September.
Conrad also confirmed that the Nathaniel Foster House will be purchased by the county Open Space program; immediate plans include a fresh coat of paint. 
Councilman Erik Simonsen commented that the Garden State Parkway Exit 0 project appears to be running behind schedule; the N.J. Turnpike Authority had promised completion by Memorial Day. Simonsen promised to contact the authority to learn more about this project’s status.
Simonsen added that the damage being done to old Route 9 will be repaired after the equipment being stored along that route is removed.
Peter Wilson of North End Thrift complained about the new township ordinance that requires second-hand merchants to report to police their purchase of certain categories of goods that they buy for resale. Although the law generally targets gold and jewelry sales that may be items stolen during burglaries and thefts, Wilson complained that the current verbiage also includes situations where his company does a complete clear out of the contents of houses that may include hundreds of items.
He complained that he recently purchased a canoe from one such house clearing transactions that turned out to be stolen. Wilson received over 20 tickets from Lower Township police for violations concerning failure to report the purchase in the police database.
He has retained an attorney to try to resolve language in the ordinance; he indicated that if some accommodation cannot be reached he will be forced to re-locate out of the township.
Wilson was advised to submit his information and recommendations to the township solicitor and administrator so that the matter can be discussed without violating privacy rules regarding the public discussion of personnel issues.
Deputy Mayor Norris Clark noted that the Delaware Bayshore Council, an organization of 15 bayshore communities and environmental and business groups, has a bill pending in Trenton that recognizes the Delaware Bay’s shore area as an “area of economic significance.”
Clark will travel to Trenton May 19 to speak on the importance of the council and the bayshore communities.
Mayor Michael Beck acknowledged the May 7 death of Villas resident Edward J. Butler who was a fixture at all Lower Township meetings. Butler, who founded the Lower Township Taxpayers Association, died at the age of 83 and should be remembered as someone who cared and got involved with Lower Township until the very end, Beck said.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.