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February z i.1 9 /4 rm icw A rage /F t .G r e e n e /C lin to n H illBy Dan IcolariLosing a Fe On that great ledger in my mind are recorded our unending local battles, with the score about evenly divided between Them (bureaucrats, practitioners of benign neglect, Nixon) and Us (tree-planting urbanites, sweepers of sidewalks, perpetual doers of the noble and good). The latest two entries on the minus side %u2014 battles lost %u2014 are these:1. 121 Clinton Avenue, a vacant 20-family apartment house, lost to the wrecker's ball. This particular fight was more frustrating than usual because we came so close to winning. It started when several of us noticed scaffolding being erected in front of the house. We ran home and got on the phone. Two days and many frantic calls later, a court order was secured to stop demolition. Unfortunately, we were too late by about three hours: the upper two floors had already been demolished by the time the court order went into effect. Mind you, this was not some horrid little tenement. It was a perfectly good structure requiring interior rehabilitation, but solid as a rock.By the time this column appears, a hearing on this problem will have been held at the Brooklyn Supreme Court Building. Its purpose is to secure a stay on all demolition in Fort Greene so that some community-wide policy can be developed. Until we create an alternative to destruction, the City will continue to award demolition contracts that destroy our neighborhood piece by piece, building by building.2. I hear Community Planning Board 2 held a meeting recently at which final approval was granted for the widening of Myrtle Avenue. Funny thing is, no one from the Fort Greene Landm arks P re servatio n Committee was invited. Considering the Landmarks Committee has been pretty vocal on this issue, I get the feeling maybe somebody on the Board wanted to slide this one in quick, while nobody was looking. Now that the widening%u2019s been approved, the City won't have to remove all those shiny new street lamps they%u2019ve installed exactly 2Vi feet behind the old ones. And since the installation began weeks ago, I guess it was a sure thing all along, neighborhood opposition notwithstanding. Ah, community control ...Returning to the antiIIV-%u20144-r a1 : ' %u2019 1ft ; I| t?A !$ ET H E1 %u2022 <$jjf | f 0 R PP J L -b :A reception followed the noon liturgy at St. Michael-St Edward%u2019s Church in Fort Greene on Feb. 10 where communityorganizations, facilities and city agencies presented displays andbooths to give parishioners a sense of the history and future oftheir local neighborhood. Here Fr. Anthony Faiila chats with someof those who attended.demolition front, the vacant buildings group of the Landmarks Committee is now compiling a list of abandoned buildings and vacant lots in Fort Greene-Ciinton Hill. When the list is complete, block associations will be asked to supplement the list with additional information on each house and lot. From there, the group will contact owners to see if they can be wedded to buyers: object, renovation. If this sounds like an ambitious undertaking, be assured the group will ask for your help. Be prepared to supplement the list with as much information as you have on every vacant building or lot on your block.Sure, you can get plain Italian bread at practically any grocery>e<>> p l e a s e d I u a n r lO u n c eLive EntertainmentF r id a y i S a t u r d a y n i q h f e - l O p m t o 2 a mN ow a p p e a rin g : R a lp h K o fk o b , fo lk -ro c K piano-vocalistSupper served 'tilt la mTUES-SW DINNER. SrRVEO i^O-lO OO , SOEREA tO-l3U136 ftUANTlC. AVENUE (8%u00a3T. ClINTON S> HEOUCf) CAU-fQR ChNNEK RfSEKVROOnST m m n n i i ^ r i i w i t theard, so they have a pretty bigselection. Try to get there in themorning, when the bread androlls are still warm. Spread somefresh, sweet butter on top, take abite, and you can approach anylocal disaster with aplomb. Ishould know.%u201c Don%u2019t litter. It%u2019s dirty and it%u2019s selfish. Don%u2019t do it.%u201d This is the approximate wording of a new metal sign now appearing on your local lamppost. It%u2019s the silent equivalent of my policy of shaming the slobs who toss garbage on my streets, ourstreets: I holler. Loud. If the offender pretends not to hear, I pick up the trash and bring it to him, pointing to the wastebasket which is invariably right next to him. Try it; it almost always works. But select your victims with care; they have to be relatively benigh and thus shameable. Good luck!I am always vaguely uneasy about relating to the hand that slides my 35 cents away from me and then dispenses a token. Nonetheless, I always thank it, and then look up to catch the shock and embarrassed smile on the face behind the subway change-booth window. It is a desperate %u2014 and probably futile%u2014 attempt on my part to inject some humanity into the proceedings. But it seems I%u2019m not alone in my madness. The people at Cumberland Pharmacy, 362 Myrtle Avenue, corner of Adelphi Street, are unabashedly friendly, chatty, and helpful. And they%u2019ve been in business long enough to know better, so they must be pretty determined about it. And what a pleasure to part with money! No matter how crowded it gets, the people behind the counter will always take as much time as they need to help you, to make a suggestion, to inquire after your family or dog or ulcer. And that%u2019s worth a few pennies more every day of the week, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Exhibitionfor VauxCalvert Vaux was a collaborator in the design of Prospect and Central Parks. In honor of his birthday the Friends of Prospect and Central Parks are sponsoring an exhibition of photographs taken in Central Park by Esther Bubley The exhibition is located at Federal Hall. Wall and Broad Streets, Manhattan, and is open free to the publiem Mondays through Fridays. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m through Feb. 28.in the neighborhood, but where can you get whole wheat Italian bread? At the Maggiore Bakery, 413 Myrtle Avenue, near Clinton. At lunchtime, the bakery serves small round pizzas; for dessert, brownies, cookies, apple turnovers, gorgeous cheesecake; intriguing specialty breads and biscuits. The bakery also caters to restaurants, I%u2019veainonlaiarMid-Eastern and International CuisineOPEN 11:30a.m. to Midnight,7 Days a WeekServing Lunch and Dinner 212-624-9267218 COURT STREET, BROOKLYN, N.Y.O p e n M o n .-F ri.11:30 a m -lO p mT W O S T E P SD O W N240 Dekalb Ave.RESTAURANTLUNCHEON & DINNERBring your favorite wine783-9239oTdh' t c -ct THIS YEAR tThen v is it ^ O U V L A K lI 4 7 / ^ o w TA %u20ac%u00bbU %u00a3, S t ,- t k i i2 L 6 tu u X o f - %u00a3****&%u25a0 %u2022f Visit the %PromenadeR estaurantfor steaks, chops, seafood, soda fountain.H om e-style Cooking is our specialty.With our expanded facilities, we have added a service barserving cocktails, wines, and liquors.84 Montague St., ( Corner of Hicks )Open til 2 a.m. 5 2 2 - 7 4 3 3 J J