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The Venture, soon to serve as a ferry between Brooklynand Manhattan, now sits in a New Jersey shipyard. (SullivanPhoto)Fulton Ferry SoonTo Sail Once MoreBY JEAN STERNLIGHTOnce upon a time, the only way to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan was by ferry. But then, in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge came along and drove the ferry right out of business. Now, to the delight of Brooklynites and M anhattanites alike, it looks like the ferry is going to make a comeback, at 75 cents a trip, running from the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn to the South Street Seaport in Manhattan.The reopening of the downtown Brooklyn to downtown Manhattan ferry is tentatively scheduled for September 18th, reports Cindy Goulder, President of the Fulton Renaissance Committee and Assistant Director of the National Maritime Association. For now the ferry is to be run as a two to three month pilot project by John R. Sullivan who has been licensed as owner and operator by the Department of Ports and Terminals.From embarcation to disembarcation, Sullivan says the trip will take %u201c less than ten minutes%u201d , and that the time spent actually riding across the East River will be less than five minutes.%u201d %u201d 1 don%u2019t want a cattle car operation,%u201d emphasizes Sullivan. %u201c 1 have nothing against the Staten Island Ferry, but people just rush out of there.%u201dThe ferry boat itself is fifty-three feet long, has two decks, has an open structure, will hold a maximum of 130 passengers and is %u201c beautiful%u201d and covered with inlaid work, says owner/operator John Sullivan. It will have bathrooms and a refreshment area in which Sullivan says passengers will be able to purchase %u201cnice sandwiches,%u201d not %u201cthose hot dogs and hamburgers which are getting disgusting already.%u201d At least for Sullivan says that he will notsell or allow liquor on the ferry, except that passengers will be permitted to bring their own on the charter cruises.Since the ferry boat is open to the elements, the rain and wind is going to come in. But Sullivan points out that most commuters spend at least ten minutes outside waiting for the bus or walking to the subway anyway. %u201cThey will keep their coats on,%u201d notes Sullivan.The ferry will run from the Fulton Ferry landing at the foot of Cadman Plaza West in Brooklyn, to one of the South Street Seaport piers in Manhattan. Sullivan says he is hoping to get permission to use Pier 16, which is actually next to the official South Street Seaport piers.Sullivan says that he has tentatively scheduled four ferry trips from Brooklyn to Manhattan weekdays at 7:30, 8, 8:30, and 9 am. In the evenings there will be four Manhattan to Brooklyn trips at 4, 4:30, 5, and 5:30. Sullivan emphasized that these hours are flexible and subject to change depending on ridership demand.Sullivan describes the ferry operation itself as at best a %u201c breakeven situation%u201d with the fare set at 75 cents. So, he also plans to use his ferry boat for various lunchtime, evening, and weekend excursion trips, and will make it available for private charter. The cost for a one hour lunch tour will be $3, and a two hour weekend or evening tour will cost $5. Sullivan has tentatively scheduled lunch tours from 12-1 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from the Manhattan pier. The charge for private charters of the boat will be $300 per hour.Red Hook ContainerportPlan Delayed AgainWhat%u2019s been pending for Red Hook since 1972 is going to pend another 30 days, said the Board of Estimate on August 16, as it laid over deliberation of the Red Hook Industrial Containerport and the Columbia Street Urban Renewal plans upon request of City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin.The plans, which have been under design in various stages for more than seven years, call for the construction of a 71-acrc containerport terminal for shipping, to be operated by the Port Authority around the Atlantic Basin, as well~~ *Ur> ^ o f n H U i c k i n n a n H r e n e w a l n f U J 1 * * ^ %u2014 -some 157 units of housing alongand adjacent to Columbia Street.All in all, upwards of $60 millionwill be spent in the area.The Board decided in ExecutiveSession the day before its public meeting to hold off approval on the plans on the request of Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, who said he had not had enough time to review the proposals, explained Deputy Borough President Harvey Schult. Although he admitted that he was %u201ca little disturbed%u201d by the delay, Schultz said that it was a %u201c courtesy%u201d to lay over items that appear on the Board%u2019s calendar for the first time at the request of other members.The Board must either approve or scrap the plans at its next mnvrnino on September 13. when the time allotted for review procedure will be nearly run out and the City Charter mandates a decision one way or the other.%u2014LZGPlanned Bus Cuts May MakeRed Hook Travel TougherBY LINUS GELBERA bid by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to cut back withering bus lines and thus recoup some of the deficits the agency has been undergoing may spell a serious inconvenience for residents in Red Hook and surrounding areas.Although the MTA hopes to save as much as $1.4 million by eliminating nine lines throughout the city, the loss of Brooklyn%u2019s three selections will make it harder than ever to get around in the Hamiltin Ave.-Gowanus Canal area. The elimination of the routes will be the subject of a citywide public hearing in September.All three of the local lines will be cut, reported MTA officer. John D. Simpson, at an MTA Board meeting, August 10, because they are %u201c lightly travelled, low revenue, high cost%u201d propositions, and all have %u201c alternative service%u201d available within a few blocks. The services slated for the axe are the B-19 Carlton Ave. bus between the Atlantic Ave. Long Island Railroad terminal and Fort Green%u2019s Navy Yard; the B-33 Hamilton Ave. bus from the East River End of Hamilton out around Prospect Park to Ocean Ave. via Prospect and Parkside Aves.; and the B-71 Union St. bus, which travels back and forth along Union between Smith St. and Grand Army Plaza. All three are limited-service lines, only travelling the morning and evening rush hours.%u201c It makes very little sense,%u201d stated Marilyn Gelber, a City Planning Commission liaison to the Community Board Six area, from which two of the three routes will be cut. She explained that, although the buses may currently have only a small ridership, the whole area is targeted for a multi-million dollar shipping yard containerport facility and an extensive Urban Renewal plan in the foreseeable future. %u201c It seems as if they%u2019re just doing things in a vacuum,%u201d she noted.Gelber also pointed out that news of the cancellation came on the heels of a move by Joe Tomo, president of the Union-Columbia Board of Trade, to extend the B-71 to full-time hours. Tomo hadcollected some 500 letters in favor of the expansion and handed them to Gelber, who was about to submit them to the MTA.Community Board Six also seems unwilling to take news of the cuts on the lam. District Manager Joan White has expressed disatisfaction with the proposals, noting that the Board%u2019s area will be by far the most heavily cut in the borough. \are upset over the idea of losing both of those buses,%u201d agreed Board Chairperson Anita DeMartini, although she admitted that she had as yet no particular plan of action, and was currently researching the matter.Explaining the reasons for the selection of these three particular buses, Lou Collins, Director ofBY LINUS GELBERIt%u2019s finally happening: after more than two years of delays and winding through departments and agencies, steps are actually being taken to secure repairs for the beleaguered Park Slope branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, located at 431 Sixth Avenue. Although the building, plagued by a leaky roof, water-damaged walls and books, broken windows and an overall outmoded physical plant, has had a niche in the city%u2019s budget since 1977, it has to date only received delays and promises.On August 3, however, a $550,000 planned repair project for the building went our for bids, and Thomas Tennyson, Chief of Support Services for the Brooklyn Public Library, reports that the results of the bidding are--by and large-good ones.Even the lowest bids for the job came in at some $180,000 over budget but, Tennyson insists, that doesn%u2019t spell an end to the process. %u201c We want to have work started by September 1,%u201d he stated, %u201c so we have to have everything finalized at least in the next few weeks, and a contract settled by the end of the month.%u201dHe explained that the city%u2019s Office of Management and BudgetPublic Information for the MTA. said that John Simpson had found that all three had a surpassingly minute ridership. The B-19, he said, carries an average of sevenand-a-half passengers per trip, the B-33 an average of six-and-a-half, and the B-71 an average of only threc-and-a-half, %u201c I wonder who the half a guv is,%u201d Collins remarked.The matter will be opened for comments at a cityw-idc publichearing on September 12 in 2 World Trade Center in Manhattan, in the New York State hearing room on the 44th floor of the building, starting at 1 p.m. For more information, call the MTA at 330-1234 or 330-300.( OMB) has agreed to let the Library make up the difference for the repair job from its %u201clump-sum%u201d budget, a fund that currently holds $991,000. Lump-sum monies ordinarily go for miscellaneous library projects over the year, like spur-ofthe-moment roof repairs and installation of modernized security systems, but, according to Tennyson, \be adversely affected.%u201d He said that he had been assured by the OMB that if other projects run short of funds, like a planned reroofing in the Windsor Terrace branch and window replacement in Sunset Park, then additional money will be added to the budget as needed. %u201c Money is always added to the lump-sum budget year in and year out anyway,%u201d he explained. %u201cThe other projects just aren%u2019t of the magnitude of the Park Slope job--we plan to get this one finished.%u201dAfter construction begins early September, he predicted, the Library should be closed between two years and 30 months. Library officials plan to relocate the branch%u2019s operations to another location somewhere in the immediate area for the duration of the repairs, although no particular spot has as yet been chosen. %u2014LZGPark Slope Library NowReady For Repair JobBAM Prepares For Fall Season,Finishing Repairs And RedecorationBY JEAN STERNLIGHTThe Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), is getting ready for its fall season, with exterior work being completed on the building, including graffiti removal, painting of the stonework, column restoration, installation of a new alley gate, and the addition of two new floors to the St. Felix Street side of the building.On the interior of the building, the lobby is being redecorated and repainted with %u201c many earth tone paints: greens, browns, andbeiges,%u201d says BAM building manager Stan Mongin. In addition to revamping the concession stand, the Opera House mezzanine and balcony is being recarpeted, reports Mongin. Some new elevator cars arc scheduled to be put in, as well as toilets for the handicapped.The current repair work is part of a large $3.6 million project underway for some time now and which is being funded primarily through %u201c federal local public works monies,%u201d says Mongin. All of this work will %u201chopefully be completed by October 1,%u201d he reports, with the exception of the replacement of the two temporary floors on St. Felix Street with permanent structures, not scheduled for completion untilDecember 31st.The Brooklyn Academy has also received an allocation of $700,000 in the 1979/80 New York City Capital budget. Mongin says that this will go toward work scheduled to take place during the summer of 1980, including the installation of new windows on the Lafayette Avenue side of the Lepercq space for %u201c thermal and audio reasons.%u201d This money may also be used to refurbish various lounges, to place new dressing rooms under the playhouse and opera house, and to pul in a new sound system.One way visible change willThe 88th Precinct encompassing the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill areas has recently faced a change in the position of command. Captain Barton of the 108th Precinct in Long Island City, Queens has replaced former Captain Daniel Mackey, who has been transferred to the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens.For a period of one week, when Mackey had already been transferred and Barton was on vacation,likely be the installation of new signs in the BAM parking lot. Mongin says that precise expenditures of funds has not been determined, and that all of the projects will go out for bids, once they have been decided upon.Meanwhile, %u201c we still have items in a state of damage from the flood%u201d two years ago, notes Mongin. Repair work still needs to be done on the orchestra pit covering, the stage lift, and several other items, some of which may be paid for out of the $700,000 says Mongin.Captain McCullcn was temporarily in charge of the precinct.Scargcnt Sweeney of the Public Information Office of Police Commissioner McQuire called the action an %u201c administrative transfer%u201d which would provide different kinds of experiences to Captains in various parts ot the city. Sweeney stated that it wa: not unusual and that possibly both captains %u201c are on their way up.\88th Precinct Gets New CaptainAug. 23, 1979, The PHOENIX, Page 5