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f ^ O M M U N IT Y p O R U M views of readersEnvironmental Center Shows Local Kids A Good SummerChildren involved in the Prospect ParkEnvironmental Center%u2019s summer pro-;rams got an early start on the %u201cWhat I)id On My Summer Vacation%u201d essay,following are essays featured in the recentssue of the PPEC Newsletter:BY BARRY LEVINEAs a Brooklyn resident for most of my life,was always aware of the existence of Pro->ect Park. Unfortunately for me I had onlyiade scant few visits to the park.The environmental science teachers in theistrict 17 Gifted and Talented program were)le to expose eager students to different enrollments and their inhabitants. Some ofe places we visited in addition to Prospectark were the High Rock Conservation;nter on Staten Island, the Bronx Zoo, Themerican Museum of Natural History, theotanic Gardens and Con Edison%u2019s Energyuseum.This summer has been a complete eyeiener for me and the kids involved in theistrict 17 Environmental Science Summerrogram. Through the ever helpful guidanceE Tom, Paula, Martha and Laura, we weresposed to the beauty, history and mystery of11 aspects of the park. We studied thearious habitats and the interesting relationlips of their communities.It is a wonderful feeling to know that such aeautiful and educational park is located inur very own backyard! We are ever gratefulo the staff at the Prospect Park Environmental Center for making our summerprogram a most informative and enjoyableone.Climb The Plaza ArchBY EBONY JACKSONWe went, one day, to the Memorial Arch inGrand Army Plaza, to climb the windingstairs to the top. After more than one hundredsteps, we reached our goal, and I bumped myhead on the hatch as I stepped out of thestairwell. When we were aU on the roof, Ilooked around at the surroundingneighborhoods. I was scared, because Ithought that since we were on top of the Arch,and it just happened to be rather old, wemight not be particularly safe. We did learn alot about the Arch and its architecture.Learn About Brooklyn FactsBY MICHELLE COLEYOn a recent visit to the Prospect Park Environmental Center with my environmentalscience class, I discovered facts aboutBrooklyn that I never knew before. I learnedabout the beginnings of Brooklyn and Flatbush and about the Brooklyn Bridge.While Brooklyn was growing and developing, it was called %u201cVlachte Bas,%u201d whichmeans %u201cflat plain with woods.%u201d This was thename the Dutch inhabitants used. They werethe first to settle in this area.Brooklyn was once just a smallagricultural town which bordered on Flatbush. The trees and water which characterized Brooklyn (or brooKlined) gave it itsname.Flatbush was settled in 1640 as farmland. Itbecame part of the city in 1814. We saw somepictures of old Flatbush while it was beingdeveloped and some pictures of what it lookslike today. Many of the buildings look thesame, but we could see what time had done.Learning Is Child%u2019s PlayBY ANDY JAGOOOn one of our many enjoyable ProspectPark trips, we did a small play. The idea ofthe play was that a company wants to buildan amusement park on a wetland environment. There was a lot of controversy aboutthis amusement park, because if the amusement park were built, all of the organisms inthe wetland environment would be killed.In the play, the actors were legislators,construction workers, homeowners, conservationists, and local business people. I was aconstruction worker.I had to choose if I were for or against theamusement park. After deep thought and alot of arguing, I decided that I was for theamusement park. The reasons why I was forthe amusement park are as follows: First ofall, I did it mostly for the money. I feel mywife and kids come before the welfare of theenvironment. Also, I do not know whenanother job like this will come along again.Being a construction worker, I do not have asteady job, and this is a perfect opportunityfor a healthy salary.When the job is done, I feel that the crimerate will decrease because, instead of beingbored, kids will have someplace to go otherthan the streets. The amusement park willgive people something fun and exciting tolook for in the neighborhood. That is why Ifeel that the amusement park should go upover the wetlands area.Prospect Park Is ClassroomBY RUPERT GLENIf you visit Prospect Park you will find outthat there is one area that is completelywater. The waterway is called the Trail of theWaters. On this tract you can find that thereare two parts of the water near the PicnicHouse, the Upper and Lower pools. Above theUpper Pool you can find a waterfall whichfeeds into the water that flows through thepark. The waterfall rocks are used to preventthe soil from being washed away.Also, in the Upper Pool, the water is coolerthan in the Lower Pool. That is because in theUpper Pool there is little sun. In the LowerPool, you can find that the water is much hotter. That is because in the Lower Pool all ofthe water is actually covered by the sun. Thisalso helps the growth of plants which areused by animals, for example, turtles. Theturtle, in particular, uses the Lower Pool totake a bath and find its food. Many things livein the pools and make the Trail of the Watersexciting.F o r THE f t E C O R D NEWS OF THEPOLITICAl. SStill No Ruling In Board O f Estimate CaseBY ROB TAYLORThe case began in 1981, when threeBrooklyn women filed a lawsuit against theBoard of Estimate charging that its weightednoting deprived them of the right to govemnent based on the one-man, one-vote interrelation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S.institution.Nearly five years later, following two'ederal Court reviews, the case is now penling in the chambers of Eastern District U.S.udge Edward Neaher, who was instructed in984 to settle the matter after a furthereview of the issues. The wait for a decisionas sparked several powerplays by electedficials who are betting that the ruling couldtimately dismantle the power given theVe're hoping for victory,but we will certainly moveif ter the ruling if it isnot favorable.it is not favorable.%u201dAlthough the original Brooklyn plaintiffsare no longer as actively involved in the legalbattle, according to Joanne Oplustil, whofiled the initial lawsuit with Beverly Morrisand Joy Clarke Holmes, a number of other city officials are taking advantage of the issue.Manhattan Borough President David Dinkinshas formed a six-member commission to examine alternative roles for the board and City Council Majority Leader Peter Vallone haspushed a resolution to the State Legislaturein Albany to try to strip the board of itsbudgetary powers.%u201cAfter the selection of Peter Vallone, thecouncil began to assert that it should have agreater say in City government,%u201d saysCharles Hynes, a special state prosecutorwho was appointed to Dinkins%u2019 commission.According to Hynes, the commission is focusing on alternative ways of organizing theboard. Whether the commission woulddiscuss the budget participation has not beendecided.David Trager, dean of the Brooklyn LawSchool and another member of the Dinkinsgroup, says, %u201cEven if its present system ofvoting is determined to be unconstitutional,the Board could change to a representationalvoting system and continue to deal with thesame issues.%u201dThe commission%u2019s first meeting is scheduled for this month. A spokesperson forJudge Neaher refused to say when theFederal court would issue an opinion on thecase and Emery continues to anxiously wait.Golden Opposes TollsBorough President Howard Golden, who isa fierce opponent of one-way toll collectionson the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, haspointed to a recent Department of Transportation study to support his claim that the controversial %u201cexperiment%u201d is a failure. Thestudy identified a worsening of traffic and airquality conditions in lower Manhattan, diversion of motorists onto local Brooklyn streetsight-member board that includes the mayor,le city council president, the city compoller and the five borough presidents.%u201cWe have urged the judge to move asuickly as possible,%u201d says Richard Emery,le New York Civil Liberties Union lawyerho represented the Brooklyn plaintiffs. %u201cAtlis point we have no idea how he is leaningnd we can%u2019t do anything until we have heardom him.%u201dOriginally the Eastern District Court ruledlat the Board of Estimate%u2019s voting strucure. where the mayor, city council presidentnd comptroller have two votes each and theorough presidents have one, was not subjecto the 14th Amendment principle. But that)ecember, 1982 decision was reversed by theJ.S. Court of Appeals two years later andiven back to the Brooklyn judge to decideihether a U.S. Supreme Court mathematicalquation for the one-man, one-vote rulingailed the %u201cAbate Test%u201d justified a constituional violation.A 132.9 percent maximum deviation wasound when the %u201cAbate Test%u201d was appliedind lawyers for the Brooklyn residents andW/%u00bb D r t n r r l f \\ t t T c f i m o t o o r r o i n f iln / 4 n o n o r c f n rlgw v . ~ . v %u2014o ------------ t %u201d~l-------------------udge Neaher to review before makingmother ruling.%u201cWe%u2019re hoping for victory,%u201d says Emery,but we will certainly move after the ruling ifBrooklyn Crack Rally Is Set For Sunday HereBorough President Howard Golden isleading a bevy of public officials who makeup the Brooklyn Task Force Against Crackand they are sponsoring a mass BrooklynCrackdown On Crack rally on Sunday, Sept.14 at 1pm, in front of the Brooklyn PublicLibrary at Grand Army Plaza. Completewith local jazz, gospel and rap musicians, theevent, says Golden, is designed to %u201cring outthe %u201cNo more crack!%u201d message.In a letter to community leaders, Goldenhas urged Brooklynites to come, carryingposters and banners that would identify themin the struggle against crack. %u201cA unifieddemonstration will put drug pushers onnotice that Brooklyn will not tolerate thosewho profit from the destruction of ouryouth,%u201d Golden said. Literature about crackand drug abuse will be available at the rallyfor groups to bring back to their communities.The Brooklyn Task Force Against Crack isa coalition of clergy, educators, communityl n o H o r o o n / 4 l o w o n f n r n o r c f n n m o / l K \\rto fight the scourge of crack. It is the firstboroughwide effort of its kind in the City. Forfurther information about the rally, call643-7780.Detective Lisi was on hand at the Crack information meeting held by Borough President Howard Golden to explain the problem.and significant loss of revenues to the transitsystem.Seeking immediate relief for commuters,Golden has reinstituted legal actions toreverse one-way toll collections. Golden is being represented in this suit by the Office ofCorporation Counsel. %u201cI have filed a Notice ofAppeal asking that the Triborough Bridgeand Tunnel Authority (TBTA) be enjoinedfrom continuing one-way toll collections,%u201dGolden said. %u201cI am pleased that the City%u2019sLaw Department has agreed to represent myposition in the Appellate Court.%u201dGolden has also urged the CorporationCounsel to seek enforcement of a SupremeCourt decision, issued in June as a result ofGolden%u2019s earlier suit, which ordered theTBTA to perform a formal environmentalstudy on the effects of the one-way toll collections.The Department of Transportation studyreported only minor speed benefits for theStaten Island Expressway, while traffic increased on the Gowanus Expressway and itsexit ramps, suggesting that some motoristsare using local Brooklyn streets during themorning rush period, instead. In addition, areview of traffic patterns leading to theHolland Tunnel indicated that the toll changehas not only affected the Canal Street corridor, but has adversely impacted a largeportion of lower Manhattan.Further indications of a worsening situation are indicated in TBTA records. Whileeastbound vehicle counts have increasedsince the toll change was implemented inMarch, westbound trips have declined between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles per monthwith annual revenue losses estimated at $6million. In fact, a comparison of vehiclecounts and revenues clearly shows that asignificant number of trucks are avoidingpaying the higher toll by seeking other exitsout of the City.Montalto EndorsedFormer State Senator Joe Montalto, who isrunning for the 23rd Senate District seat helost in 1984 to the current officeholder, ChrisMega, has been endorsed by the New EraDemocrats. A city-wide good governmentorganization founded in 1983, the New EraDemocrats unanimously voted to supportMontalto%u2019s candidacy.Montalto, who represented the BayD i H r %u00bb o / C u r * o o f P o r l r / A o n o n n h n r c t / P a r tSlope district for one term, was praised bythe organization for his commitment to theneeds of New York City.September 11,1986, THE PHOENIX, Page 39