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Page Eight PHOENIX June 28,1973a i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i H i i i m i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i m i i i i i i i i i m i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i m i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i H i i i i n i i i i i i i i i i i i m t i n i i n i i i i n n i n M 9 i i i gj Poly Helps Brooklyn Bridge! I Reveal Her True Colors ILibrary News:First the Good Then the BleakPeople and libraries in South Brooklyn seem to have had problems lately, and the news this week on the library front is mixed. The good news comes from Councilman Cuite, who reports that Mayor Lindsay has gotten behind the Save the Pacific Street Library Committee%u2019s fight to rehabilitate instead of replace the venerable branch library building at Pacific and Third Avenue.This sensible decision, which had previously been made by Brooklyn Public Library officials, then altered by them in concert with a city agency, assures that the near-unanimous plea of public officials, civic leaders and parents has been heard.in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, however, the news is bleak. These communities will be without library service certainly through the summer, and there is not yet a firm plan to return service in the foreseeable future. With only a week%u2019s notice to the general public, Library officials announced a major rehabilitation involving this branch and others that would mean closing the Carrol! Park branch library for from 12-18 months while work is underway.At the time of the announcement, the Library said that it expected service at this branch to be curtailed for approximately one month. What they meant, which was not clear at the time, was that even though the branch was closed, they expected to find some temporary facility to serve the neighborhood. This has not yet been done. At this writing there is no concrete plan to provide library service to the residents of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill. Ideas such as bringing a bookmobile to the area for a brief period of time each week are now being tossed around.We find the whole situation appalling and inexcusable. To have gone through the process of planning a major rehabilitation program, to have taken public bids from contractors, to have scheduled construction work in branches, took many months and weeks. Yet, the announcement of closing came only one week before it happened. Worse yet, to have spent all the staff time that must have gone into this preparation and planning, and to have made no plan for alternate service is an outrage.A letter published elsewhere on this page takes us to task for not presenting the story properly in the first place. A news story published up front in the paper gives some of the facts of the situation. We hope every concerned Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens residents will write or call the Brooklyn Public Library, Mr. Kenneth Duchac, Director, Ingersoll Branch, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn 11238, telephone 789-1212.%u25a0>Something to say?We welcom e your contributions tofh i PHOIHiX Cast^issusilfy Esnuss*To m axim ize the im pact of your words 500-750 word opinions preferredSend your contributions to: EditorPHOENIX, 132 Clinton St.Brooklyn Bridge, symbol of the forces that joined five boroughs to form the metropolis we now know as New York City, is 90 years old this month. To celebrate its birthday, the City is giving the structure a fresh coat of paint%u2014and a ttem pting to restore its original colors.To determine these colors, the New York City Landmarks Preservation C o m m is s io n com bed documentary sources for clues. Their results were inconclusive. The problem was how to make the original colors visible for specifying modern paints.This was where Polytechnic stepped in. In a special study for the Landm a rk s P re s e rv a tio n Commission, a team of PIB chemists and metallurgists took extensive samples of paint from the bridge in areas where it hadremained intact over nine decades. These samples were then sliced diagonally to fan out their layers and m ounted. M icroscopic examination showed that most of the fragments taken from the main catenary cables seemed to have abasic coat of a light cream | color, whereas those from | the deck girders showed a 1 light coffee color. Coatings | experts agreed after careful | consultation that they could | safely pronounce these | colors identical or very | sim ilar to the original | pigments.In one paint sample PIB f specialists counted as many | as 63 layers. The color | microphotographs show | rainbow-like spectra of color | that surprised everyone 1 who worked on the project, f These are physical images | symbolizing the history of | New York City as we know it | today%u2014a union of boroughs | ti&und together by bridges | that span the years as well | as the waters.(This article is reprinted |from %u201cThe Polytechnic |Cable,\Polytechnic Institute of 1Brooklyn).%u2019Don't W orry,\Says LICHTo the Editor:If Nat Levine of Planning Board Six should ask one of your readers what to do about community complaints received at long last requesting public hearings about the current LICH medical and building plans, just tell him not to worry %u2014 everything is going to be all right.That%u2019s what the hospital said when he asked them.Thornton W. Willett 206 Kane StreetEDITOR S NOTE:In response to Bob Conlan%u2019s letter in last week%u2019s PHOENIX, I plead guilty on two counts: the misspelling of Mr. Conlan%u2019s name and my inaccurate labeling of the gentlemen attired in dark suits and skull caps as Hassidic Jews.Otherwise, I feel that I accurately reported my observations at Councilman Richmond%u2019s Montague St. headquarters on Election Night.Sincerely,and we are very grateful for this great beginning.There is still room for more people who would like to enlist. Continuing expansion of this civilian participation at the Precinct Headquarters will allow even more police officers to be on our streets during the 6 to 10 pm shift. Anyone who wants to join our group of energetic, capable and public spirited citizens may call Officer John D%u2019Onofrio at the Precinct, 783-2072.Our appreciation to the Phoenix is great%u2014for this and all your support of our fight for a better neighborhood.Cordially,Stan Mongin, President,Disturbed ByLibrary ClosingDear Friends:I am quite disturbed by the %u201ctemporary%u201d closing of the Carroll Gardens branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, which was announced in the Phoenix of last week. The article has stated that the branch would re-open in a month or two.as adequate space is found. However, according to Mr. Lawrence Brandwein, Deputy Director of the B.P.L., no space has been found, and so we of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens will have no service until rehabilitation is complete.What this amounts to is a denial of Library service to our community. The nearest branches, at Red Hook and Brooklyn Heights, are a considerable distance. Mr. Brandwein%u2019s lame excuse that this was necessitated by budgetary reasons does not excuse the Library system or the City from their total disregard of community. 1 therefore urge the Phoenix to investigate this situation and take all necessary actions to ensure that Library service is restored to Carroll Gardens and Cobbie Hill.One final thought: the Library recently stated with a great deal of publicity that it was listening to community voices, and the name of the branch was changed from %u201cCarroll Park%u201d to %u201cCarroll Gardens.%u201d I would suggest that the Library%u2019s concern with community is far better shown by their latest actions with this branch.Sincerely,David F. Feingold Tqjupkms PlaceTail th* PHOENIXDo you iiave a civic, scnooi,. church, block association, social or club meeting coming up next week? Be sure to let everyone know by letting the PHOENIX know. Send us your listing typed or printed by noon Monday for the very next Thursday edition. Write to: The PHOENIX, 132 Clinton St., or call 643-1032.ev%u00abryona will knowKitty TerjenPhoenix Swamps78th Switchboardii%u2014 t-i i %u25a0 *x u c u e JLJU1LU1 .On behalf of the 78th Precinct Community membership, I want to thank you for the highly successful launching of our Volunteer Switchboard-Receptionist Program. More than thirty highly qualified citizens responded to the announcement you ran, many with professional experience. Training sessions are already under way,The facts, a&j understand them, are that renovation of the branch will take at least one year, and probably more like two years. Experience with libraries in Flatbush and on Eastern Parkway show that renovation usually requires a period of time twice the uty's initial promises. The Carroll Park branch renovation is also a substantial one and the estimate published in the Phoenix is not at all realistic.A more incredible fact is that the Librai / closed our branch without having a tem porary facility available. The sig.i on the door ofthe branch stales that a temporary facility will be set up just as soon