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January 3,1974 PHOENSX Page 9V/~- I %u00a9Of__x i / nU l L U L U ! U & L I S I U HLEADERSHIP AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM Brooklyn%u2019s fabulous Brooklyn Museum has long ranked as one of the wonders of living in Brooklyn and has been one of those %u201cundiscovered%u201d finds that the new resident generally makes early upon moving to the borough. But, if there were any doubt of its stature, it was dispelled in the wake of the huge attention given to the debate over the continued tenure of director Duncan Cameron. After a long-running fued over the stewardship of Cameron highlighted by two December %u201chearings%u201d by the Board, the director submitted a letter of resignation that sounded as much like a request for a vote of confidence. The resignation was accepted however, with the board taking the blame for its failure to provide leadership. The Museum enters 1974 without a director and no plan for picking one.DRUG CENTER CONTROVERSY The location of treatm ent facilities for drug addicts often stirs controversy, particularly when operated without due concern for the neighborhoods where they reside. For more than two years, Fort Green residents fought what they called the irresponsible operation of an ARTC center on Fulton St., which they argued was too large and was serving as far wider area than their neighborhood-treating an estimated 1200 patients. ARTC began to decentralize info Park Slope, to centers on Sixth Ave. and Dean St., but without adequate community preparation. The Board of Estimate put a stop to this actionby limiting the budget of ARTC in the fall, insuring proper community input into the operation. Another notorious treatm ent center, which was being pushed out of Flatbush because its operation inflamed the community there, attempted to move to the FlatbushPacific St. area, but was stopped by neighborhood opposition. Local protestors all concede the need for treatment facilities, but hope to prevent the central location of our neighborhoods from attracting a preponderance of centers from throughout Brooklyn.FIFTH AVENUE RIOTSThe hot summer had barely begun when an outbreak of violence on Fifth Avenue in lower Park Slope ignited tempers and frustrations and resulted in two days of sporatic street rioting along the northern part of the Avenue, around Union Street June 26-27. Clashes between Spanish and Italian youth brough gunshot injuries to eight, and have resulted in the arrest of seven, with others expected to follow.POLITICAL ACTION IN 1972The major political event of the year were city council and borough elections, and the election of a new city councilman for Brooklyn Heights. Frod Richmond was appointed to fill a vacancy created in late 1972 when Councilman Leonard Scholnick became a Supreme Court Judge. Richmond was elected in Nov. to a one-year term in the newly-reapportioned district, which includes all of Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Boerum Hill-Gowanus, Prospect Heights and part of Park Slope.Homemakers HoldHOSPITALS AND THEIR NEIGHBORSThe expansion needs of Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill and Methodist Hospital in Park Slope continued to raise the ire of their respective neighborhoods in 1973, though future plans were largely shelved as the result of decisions by City and State agencies. After a wild meeting in Cobble Hill in late March, which practically marked the end of community-hospital dialogue, the Hospital submitted in May a preliminary plan for its future expansion. In June, the NYC Comprehensive Health Planning Agency asked for a hold-up of any further expansion until the health needs of the area could be fully surveyed. Meanwhile, the LICH Extended Care Facility is slated for occupancy in the spring. After prolonged debate and wide publicity given to hold-out residents, Methodist hospital demolished buildings it had owned for some time along Seventh Avenue, only to learn in October that its plans for expansion had been rejected by the State Health Departm ent for %u201c technical%u201d reasons.LIBRARY HOURS AND FACILITIESContinued From Page 2Money and the funding squeeze hit Brooklyn libraries during 1973, cutting out Saturday hours in many branches and other services. Fortunately some of the Saturday hours are now being restored. But local facilities suffered most from construction problems. The Carroll Gardens Branch was closed abruptly in June for a two-year remodling job, and it took until October until a temporary facility could be opened. The gap without service was courtesy of the City%u2019s Public Works Department (DPW) not the Library. The long-running battle of the fate of the Pacific Street Library (corner of 4th Ave.) reached its final stage during the year, when neighborhood advocates in Boerum Hill rallied officials and community to force the City to go ahead with its originally-announced plan to renovate the unique structure. The City decided after study, that the library did not merit saving, and instead announced it was going to build a new, if smaller, building. At year end, renovation is now progressing nicely at the unique Pacific branch and occupancy is expected late in 1974.Renovation at M ethodistFLATBUSH AND ATLANTIC AVENUESNo chronicling of local events could be complete without reporting on the enormous change that has been and is being wrought on the two major Avenues running through our area%u2014Flatbush and Atlantic%u2014by private individuals and groups of civic workers. The transformation of Atlantic Avenue into a major shopping area, filled with boutiques, antique shops and other shopping attractions, has happened with the barest of official encouragement. It just happened, and the results are magnificent. Flatbush Avenue has benefited from private enterprise of another kind. The work of the Triangle Parks-Flatbush Avenue Im %u00adprovement Association has attracted city-wide attention, and has certainly earned it. Much remains to be done, but the achievements to date, indicate the promise for the future.Open House at YW The G ow anus Canal unchangedThe Downtown Homemakers Program at the Brooklyn YWCA, 30 Third Avenue at Atlantic, will hold an Open House for registration for winter classes, Tuesday-Friday, January 8-11 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Homemakers Program was planned with young mothers in mind, providing them an opportunity to get out of the house, pursue an interest, with child care provided for pre-schoolers.Classes offered include: Tuesday: Political Education Workshop; Stained Glass Workshop; Beginners Tennis; Yoga exercises ana Dance or Dip; Wednesday: Yoga for Beginners and Interm ediates; Sewing Without a Pattern; Drawing and Painting; Living With Your Child, group discussions with social worker about common problems and situations in childrearing.Thursday: Tie-Dyeing; Slimnastics and Modern Dance;I T . i L ------- --- f %u2014 4-U-------. .. L ~ U ----- ----- i i c u u a y x jg a , iu i u iu o c w u v n a v estudied yoga before; Introductionto Carpentry. Friday: Beginners and Intermediate Tennis; Law and Money for Women, taught by a woman lawyer; Sewing Workshop; Belly-dancing; Know Your Car, how it runs and basic repairs.All the above classes are $20.00 for 8 weeks. Supervised nurseries are available for children under five, including infants, at $10.00 per child for 8 weeks.A Monday class is offered. Called Re-entry. A New Beginning, it is a special class for women who are considering going back into the job market, or back to school for further training. The three-hour class (9-12) is $35.00 for 8 weeks. Nursery is $15.00 per child. YW membership at $6.00 a year is required for registration in all classes.You may register in advance by mail or at the desk in the YW lobby. If you need further information concerning this%u2014 n xt %u2014 %u2014 r %u00bb : %u201e %u2014 %u00ab c a n n a m . ) i i c i l c ,Program Director, 875-1190.