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Page 16 PHOENIX March /, 1974This is the vacant lot at Smith and Second Place which maysoon become a park through the efforts of the Carroll GardensAssociation (Hernandez Photo)D is a p p e a rin g A c t fo r P arkF ix tu re s Should End W e llBY JOHN BLACKMOREIt%u2019s the great disappearing act, and you gottakeep your eye sharp to catch the sleight of hand.The disappearing act takes place from time to timeat our neighborhood parks and memorials, andinstead of beautiful assistants or rabbits, whatdisappears are plaques, busts, fixtures, andsometimes even half-ton eagles. Now most of thetime it's the work of vandals, but more than oftenthe prestidigitator comes from the Parks Department.Few people are aware of it, but Parks andRecreation maintains a monument pool. Statues,cannon, busts and memorials are periodicallybrought to the PRCA%u2019s Monument RestorationShop in Manhattan, where they might be restoredor merely stored. Sometimes for aesthetic,historical, or security reasons, the statuary mayeven be relocated to more suitable locations.one day a few years back the bronze eagles andartillery cannons that once graced the pedestal ofthe Martyr's Monument in Ft. Greene Park weregone. Not many people noticed their disappearance, or if they did accepted it with a shrug.But the oldtimers did, and so did Roy Vanasco,Republican District Leader in the Ft. Greene area!As a boy, Roy remembers family gatherings at thetop of monument hill, and the family photographstaken in the setting of the monument, the cannonand the eagles.For four years Roy has been searching for thelost eagles. The closest thing to an answer he gotwas from a PRCA official, who assured him thatthey were being stored \But after pursuing the matter further, he couldlearn no more,-at least until last month. Soon afterthe change in administration, Mr. Vanasco wrotethe new PRCA Administrator, Edwin Weisl, aboutthe eagles and cannon. He sent old family snapshots taken in front of them, he outlined theirhistorical significance, and demanded their return.The matter was expedited, and Vanasco got hisanswer last month. Joseph Bresnan, the PRCADirector of Monuments, certified the existence ofthe cannon and eagles, and reported that they arepresently undergoing restoration at the ModernArt Foundry. Vanasco was told that the items werenever \stored at the Monument Restoration Shop.Furthermore, the eagles are slated to return to then proper nesting place \But as for the cannon, the two Civil War field gunswill be relocated elsewhere in the park system.\Civil War vintage - the monument stands for theRevolution), and for reasons of scale andpresentation, I have recommended that thesecannon be excluded from the park,%u201d Mr. Bresnantold Roy.D rive O n fo rLot M in i-P a rkOn Tuesday evening last week the CarrollGardens Association hosted an open communitymeeting to discuss plans to build a %u201cmini-park%u201d atthe corner of Second Place and Smith Street infront of the Carroll Street entrance to the INDsubway.Three weeks ago designer Giac D%u2019Acquisto, aCarroll Gardens resident, submitted plans for sucha park to the Association. The Association hadearlier committed itself to presenting the plan, andseveral alternates, to the community before goingahead. At the community meeting about 50residents turned out and approved D'Acquisto's%u201cpreferred plan%u201d according to the Association,unanimously. %u201cWhat is now only a dreary unkemptpatch of dirt which accumulates litter and brokenglass will be transformed into a planted area ofcircular tree wells and brick paving with concretepathways.\The enthusiasm of the residents present did notstop there. They formed what they call %u201cThe VacantLot Committee%u201d which will supervise not only thebuilding of the new mini-park, but will promote thedevelopment of other vacant lots in the CarrollGardens neighborhood.The first goal of the new committee is to raisebetween $3500 and $4000 for construction costs.Tony Gambale, President of the Carroll GardensAssociation, reported that $1000 has already beenraised toward their goal. The committee encourages contributions for their effort. Interestedresidents can make their contributions payable to:The Carroll Gardens Association, Inc., care ofAnthony Gambale. 128 Carroll Street, Brooklyn11231.Gambale reported that a tentative groundbreaking date has been set for May 18th!C I T m I \\J I I I I