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Page 6, PHOENIX, June 20, 1974Effort Being Made toRestore Park MonumentBY JOHN BLACKMORE%u201c Lafayette and Washington galloped right over this very spot during the Battle of Long Island,%u2019%u2019 Park Slope resident Vern Ford told us last week at the site of the Marquis de Lafayette Monument at the Ninth Street entrance to Prospect Park, %u201c Probably in retreat.%u2019%u2019 Today one would take little note of the handsome bronze rel ief of Layfayette by his stead as it is now neglected, vandalized, graffiti-ed, and poorly maintained. It is also somewhat disfigured; trophy hunters having long since relieved the Marquis of his up-raised sword and his horse of his stirrups.The Lafayette Monument, once the focal point of this pedestrian entrance to the park, was designed by Daniel Chester French, the noted American sculptor who is best known for his seated Lincoln at Washington%u2019s Lincoln Memorial. The Brooklyn monument to Lafayette was unveiled and dedicated by Marshall Joffre and M. Vivani of the French War Commission on May 10, 1917, as %u201c an enduring trib u te to the memory of Lafayette who, as friend and companion of the immortal Washington, fought to establ ish in our country those principles of liberty and human brotherhood.%u2019%u2019Vern Ford and the Ninth Street Block Association, of which Mr. Ford is President, have started an effort to restore the monument to its former glory. Attention was brought to the monument and its problems last month when the Park Slope Civic Counci I used the monument as the pictorial theme of their House Tour. The graphics they used for the House Tour program did not reveal the day-glow graffiti, the missing elements, and the general deterioration of the entranceway, but many community residents, who take pride in the many other restoration projects in the area, did.Ford is investigating the resources and possibilities for a community-based effort to restore the monument. He discovered that the Park Council, Inc., a non-profit foundation that encourages such projects, has al ready desi g nated a $500 grant wh ichWould be made available for the restoration of the Lafayette Monument. Under their guidelines, the community would have to raise $1000 more in matching funds to release the grant. Ford has also contacted the New York State Preservation Society and applied for grant monies through their Unique New York program.We contacted Dr. Donald Simon, Curator of Prospect Park, to find out whether the Parks Department had any plans of their own for the monument. He told us that while the Department is willing to clean up the graffiti periodically (last year they de-graff itied the monument twice), there are no restoration plans for the monument at the present.A problem of money? %u201c No,%u2019%u2019 Simon told us, %u201c We%u2019re just afraid that if we replace the sword and hoofs, they%u2019ll be gone tomorrow.%u2019%u2019 Prospect Park has recently had its capital budget increased by $2 million, and Simon said that if the current plans for the monument should change, the money could be made available. Simon was particularly concerned that the youths who hang out at the monument wouldn%u2019t give it a chance. %u201c But if the community were willing to take it under their wing, it would be a different story, %u2019 %u2019 said Simon, %u201c W e%u2019reat least willing to talk about it.%u201dVern Ford also talked to Simon, who encouraged his efforts. %u201c W e%u2019re going to try to get the community behind the restoration to show the Parks Department they should support it,%u201d said Ford. %u201c We have to show them that the community cares.%u201d One tactic that Ford mentioned was getting the kids who hang out at the monument involved in the restoration effort. The idea is that once they take some pride in the monument, they could help prevent future vandalism.Would you like tojoin Vern Ford and the Ninth Street Block Association in this honorable effort? The city has given its assurances that if the community really gets behind it the restoration could be done. If you are interested in getting involved, cail Vern Ford at 965-4951.^ Let Us Hear ^ 1 .1\%u25a0--T-1..r- 1 | ----------- '%u25a0%u25a0%u25a0%u2014 ^ 'ffl 1 nn%u00ab4'u\\r%u00bb %u2014 i_UL.ai.iunNature of Problem%u2014 --------------------------------------%u2014 .. ............................. - - mi%u25a0 i| Your Name ..................... ............... iS Your Phone-. f1 1 2, Mail To The PHOENIX, 155 Atlantic Avenuei91111111111111VBrownstone FairSet for October 5Nat Hendricks, president of The Brooklyn Brownstone Conference has announced the second annual Brooklyn Brownstone Fair will be held on October 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the showroom floor of the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, 195 Montague Street in downtown Brooklyn.%u201cThe Brownstone Fair in 1973,%u201d Mr. Hendricks said, %u201c proved to be the single most effective event in providing information about brownstone living in Brooklyn. Beyond our wildest expectations, more than 2,400 people attended the exhibition, with many interested visitors coming from the far reaches of Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester County. It showed the tremendous interest many people have about living in one of Brooklyn%u2019s 19th century brownstone neighborhoods.%u201dThe Brooklyn Brownstone Conference, sponsor of the event, is a coalition of Brooklyn brownstone neighborhoods dedicated to the preservation and renewal of their communities. The Conference includes representatives from the following communities: BedfordStuyvesant, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights. Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Pratt Area, Prospect Heights Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Bedford Stuyvesant H eights, Greenpoint and Sunset Park.The Fair II will have exhibits and information booths, set up by craftsmen, contractors, utilities, decorators and'others to give the visitor a complete picture about what is involved in buying and renovating and living in one of Brooklyn%u2019s 19th century brownstones. Bus tours and other events are also being planned.Special Ed ProgramTo Start for ChildrenA highly-specialized education program to help infants and preschool children who are mentally retarded or have other developmental or learning problems has been undertaken by the Department of Pediatrics of the Long Island College Hospital, 340 Henry Street, Brooklyn, in cooperation with the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School.An initial grant of $173,000, from federal, state and city governments, will fund the first year of a three-year training program which will provide a new approach to the early diagnosis and training of handicapped children. The plan combines the resources of the hospital%u2019s Children%u2019s Center for Developmental Disabilities, whose multidiscipline staff ranges from physical therapists to pediatric neurologists, and the school%u2019s M ontessori-trained and special education trained staff.Classes in the two-fold program will start in September in newlyrenovated quarters adjacent to the Montessori School on Montague Street. There will be four daily morning and afternoon sessions for up to 24 children from three to six years old. In addition, an infant training program for multi-handicapped children from 18 months to three years of age will be held each day.The hospital%u2019s Children%u2019s Center provides the services of physical and occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech pathologists, social workers and general medical backup. Children who can benefit from the special education program will be screened at the Center and referred to the school. The Center staff will remain in close contact with the school to follow the daily progress of each child.The educational services of the Montessori program are designed to help the %u201c special%u201d pre-schoolchild reach maximum learning potential. Some of the techniques used are exercises to improve perception, practical life exercises such as learning to tie shoes and remove one%u2019s own coat, pre-math, pre-reading, reading, motor skills, art and carpentry. The infant training program, for youngsters under three years of age, emphasizes more basic skills.According to Daniel Pociernicki, director of the new program, the early diagnosis and training of children can possibly lead to their eventual functioning in a normal classroom. The opportunity to socialize with normal children is of major importance in the development of the child, he adds.Red Cross Asks For VolunteersThe Brooklyn Chapter, American Red Cross in Greater New York has volunteer openings for hundreds of young people in Brooklyn agencies during the summer months. Young people 14 years and older who do not plan to work or who cannot find paid employment this summer are urged to give a day or more a week as Red Cross volunteers.Volunteers serve without pay, though many institutions provide lunch. Where uniforms are required, Red Cross will supply them on loan. Work papers are necessary for minors, and the Red Cross suggests that they be obtained at the school office in advance of registering.The Brooklyn Chapter will register volunteers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through June from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Prospective volunteers are asked to visit the Red Cross chapter house at 1 Red Cross Place or to call the Youth office at 787-1000, extension 593.BicyclesSales / Rentals / Repairsn i x o H s# i K e %u00a3 h o j>(Ejj^ Ukon $B E T W E E N ! a>TH %u00a3 7TH A V E N U E S %u2022 Ib 'd b -O O b T