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Not One, But 160 Trees Grow In Brooklyn Heights Planters This YearBY ROB TAYLORFor the first time in nearly 40 years, the City%u2019s Department of Parks and Recreation has renewed its tree planting nrnpram in Brooklyn Heights and this year ifiO new trees have taken root.For the last ten years, the City's budu-: has not been able to afford any new trees,\said Liam Kovanauch. tree planting ? o o v -dmsioi trom the Brooklyn Office of the Department o? Park? end Recreation, daring a tree planting ceremony Dec. 1 on Hicks Street sponsored by the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA \Budget i.i still feeling the crunch, out the Capita: Budget is in .: >.xl shape and the treeplanting program is r ;w part of a 10-year effort. lie said.This year, the City%u2019s Capital Budget included $3 million for new trees throughout the city. While 11,000 trees were planted in all the boroughs, 3,500 were sent to Brooklyn. According to Kavanaugh, the City stopped planting trees in 1975. In Brooklyn Heights, however, the last trees to be planted were %u201cprobably%u201d part of a Works Project Administration (WPA) program either during or prior to World War II, says Robert Rowen, the chairman of the Brooklyn Heights Association Tree Committee.In 1940, Rowen says that the City planted about 1,000 trees in Brooklyn Heights. Since then, the BHA has depended on its own efforts and those of other interested donors to have trees planted in the neighborhood. In the last five to six years, the donor program has been able to plant about 70 trees at a cost of about $200 each. This year, Rowen says about 12 donor trees have been planted in Brooklyn Heights. %u201cThe advantage of a donor tree is that the donor gets to chose where it goes,%u201d he adds. %u201cWe%u2019re trying to eliminate the barren stretches and concrete. Trees make the Heights.%u201dSites for the most recent City planting were chosen from an initial survey undertaken by the BHA in 1984 and augmented by written requests to the Association. The survey suggestions were then submitted to Community Board Two and then passed on to the Parks Department.Happy with the new trees in the H eights, Robert R owen, Jack Biewirth and Earl W ienerfrom the Brooklyn H eights A ssociation and Liam Kavanaugh from the Parks D epartm entForestry O ffice pose in front of one of the 160 new street trees planted on H icks St. thisyear by the City. (Phoenix/Taylor Photo)Several delays, including the drought during the summer of 1985, prevented the new trees from being planted immediately because the young trees needed proper* - -J 4. -. 4. %u201e 1- - 4. T~> %u201e _ 1 .. Wciltu iiig ut u> u ci tu tcm c lu u i. u u w c u cuausays that in many parts of Brooklyn Heights, vaults were found underneath the sidewalk so that a tree could not be accommodated. %u201cThe area around the St. George Hotel and alone Montague St is particularly pad,\With new Honey Locusts, Ashes, Pin Oaks. Ginkos arid Columnar Sugar Maples %u2014 all %u201cproven survivors in an urban environment%u201d %u2014 now growing, the Brooklyn Heights Association is making plans to submit a new list of sites to the Parks Department for spring planting. %u201cWe exhausted the current list,\survey as soon as possibleIn the meantime, the Parks Department is asking Brooklyn Heights residents to care for the new trees while they are young. The trees need to be watered and cultivated weekly, during the growing season from May through November. %u201cThe City will prune the trees,%u201d says Kavanaugh, %u201cbut the type of day to day care has always been left to the homeowners.%u201dDistrict 13 Approves Half A Million For Heights/Ft. Greene DistrictBY LIZ KOCHMoney was the issue at the regular monthly meeting of Community School Board 13 meeting held on Nov. 25 as the board members unanimously approved over $500,000 in various funding for programs in the district.The meeting, attended by some 40 people, was held at P.S. 270 at 241 Emerson Place in Clinton Hill and the board approved a resolution to accept funds from the New York State Division of Substance Abuse Services for the amount of $463,388.The district-wide program that is geared for children in all grades works as a drug prevention proram. Counselors are available through the program and provide peer group sessions and image building sessions as a preventative for future substance abuse. The money received is the district%u2019s yearlyallocation for the program.Also at the meeting, the board approved a resolution to accept a grant from the State Department of Education for $50,000 to conduct a Leadership Development Program for Teachers. The money would help develop a program to train outstanding teachers in the district as effective administrative leaders. The teachers will be chosen for the program on the basis of recommendations from principals as well as other sources. Deputy Superintendent Helen Griffiths says that the grant came through the offices of State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblyman Roger Green.The two public officials also helped the district obtain a grant of $30,000 from the State Education Department to expand the Gifted and Talented Programs that applies to 12 schools in the district. The money has notyet been earmarked for a specific aspect of the program.Helen Griffiths, who presented the superintendent%u2019s report on behalf of Jerome Harris, announced that this year%u2019s Open School Week in District 13 set a record for the district. She also announced a special evening for parents that was set for Dec. 3 at P.S. 270. It will be an evening of workshops presented by District 13%u2019s elementary and junior high school supervisors in the areas of building a positive self image, foreign language, helping your child at home, reading, parents as gifted partners, among others. In total 25 workshops will be offered. Parent registration forms for the event are available at all local schools.Two elected board members, Arthur Bramwell and Marilyn Mosley, did not attend the monthly meeting on Nov. 25.R i n g i n g i n t h e h o l i d a y sThe joy of the holiday season w illbegin sounding fourth on M ontagueStreet next week. T h a t%u2019s when bass,baritone, ten or and alto w ill sing ou t tosignal the start of our 23rd AnnualFestival Chorus. Led by ConductorRinaldo Tazzini, our 40-voice chorus willperform a w ide variety o f selections fromtraditional to contem porary, including OHoly N ig ht, Joy To T he W orld, Lights ofChanukah, Silver Bells, G o Tell It O n TheM ountain, and 25 o th er holiday favorites.Perform ances will be held at our mainshow room , 195 M on tagu e Street, and oneand all are w elcom e. T h e dates are Tuesday, D ecem ber 9th through Friday,D ecem ber 12th, and M onday and T u esday, D ecem ber 15th and 16th, betw eennoon and 2 pm each day.. . . And Santa, ToolAs a special treat, S an ta Claus w illalso be on hand in our m ain officeshow room to greet all visitors, young andold alike, on D ecem ber 9th throughD ecem ber 12th and D ecem ber 15th and16th, betw een 2pm and 4pm.Brooklyn Union GasPage 6, TH E P H O E N IX , D ecem ber 4, 1986