Upper Proclaims ‘Food Allergy Week’

PETERSBURG – Upper Township Committee met March 21 and unanimously approved its entire slate of consent agenda items without public comment. Items addressed two shared service agreements.
One amended an agreement with Dennis Township to provide clerical and administrative services for the Construction Code office. The other amended the shared services agreement with Corbin City for municipal court services.
Engineer Paul Dietrich reported that with President Obama’s approval of disaster relief for Cape May County due to Storm Jonas in January, public assistance for certain claims should be available.
“We are expecting to get reimbursed for disposal of debris such as the cleanup we did in Strathmere and removing bulky items throughout the township. But we won’t get paid for the regular time we put in, only overtime,” he explained.
“Small business owners and commercial properties also might have relief through the SBA (Small Business Administration),” he continued.
Mayor Richard Palombo noted that he expects resource centers to be established to counsel potential claimants as was done post-Sandy. “We don’t yet know the timing of when these centers will be set up or where but as soon as we do we’ll post the information on our website and broadcast it on TV.”
Dietrich reported that he and his crews are getting the township’s beach areas ready for the summer. “We’re cleaning out sand from pathways, putting out trash cans and getting everything in shape for the start of the season on the beaches at Strathmere and Beesley’s Point as well as the boat ramp there,” he said.
Committee passed unanimously two related ordinances upon final adoption that concern establishment of two new positions in the township. One ordinance authorized one new maintenance/grounds position and one new passport acceptance position. The second established salary levels for each of those positions. There was no public comment on either.
Committee unanimously ratified a request by Palombo to proclaim May 8-14 “Food Allergy Week” in the township.
“I received a request from Christina Russick of Seaville that we do so. This is a nationwide movement with many communities having similar weeks. Per the information she provided, and reading the text of the proclamation, the prevalence of food allergies is growing with over 15 million Americans suffering from them, and 6 million of these are under the age of 18. Doctors don’t know why people have them and there is no cure. Major food culprits for allergies are shellfish, fish, nuts, milk and eggs,” said Palombo.
Russick received the proclamation from Palombo saying, “My 5-year-old son has multiple food allergies and is starting kindergarten; it’s really complicated to let everyone know about his food concerns.”
“What you’ve done by educating us about this problem is really important, as a pharmacist and health professional, myself, I can really appreciate what a concern this is, thank you,” replied Palombo addressing Russick.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.