Daily News from New York, New York • 8

DAILY NEWS, MONDAY, MY 15, 1978 8 ow-1 it come Mousing Fighting wnstoners By MARTIN GOTTLIEB A proposal to build low and housing in the heart of Brooklyn's i-vns'iiiie revival belt is provoking a bitter Dr. Ule within an unusual community of New who chose to live in a multi-ethnic neighborhood when thousands of others fleeing to the suburbs. anu mi a multi-million dolur low n--e apartments on two -'it- that have sat vacant for ci! I' II. I viii church group, the association wants millions in federal rent subsidies for housing of six stories or less. It would be designed by award-winning architect Harry Simmons who argues that his designs help curb the kind of problems that afflict many low-income projects.

To Screen Problem Families But the association argues, the Settlement Housing Fund, ore of the city's most prominent nonprofit housing developers, will undertake exhaustive tenant selection precautions to keep out problem families. "'These will be stable, responsible families, who live here now or had lived here for long, long years, says Mary Melish. who was director of the Brooklyn Heights Youth Center for 25 years. This does not reassure people like Newsoni, who has invested $80,000 in a house, or Dom Polimeni, who has lived in the area all his life and had watched it deteriorate through the 1950s when working class Italians left. They say poor people should be given a chance to own and renovate brownstones rather than to live in a subsidized development.

"Before the brownstoners came, there were transients here we're turning it around, why don't they just leave us alone? Why invest government money to damage an area? Why invest government money where private dollars are working?" Polimeni asked. formed to combat the plan. "It will cap the revival movement and punish the people who have stood by the city in a time of crisis." Both sides are made up of broad ethnic spectrums. typical of the neighborhood which has undergone a population upheaval over the past two decades. Census and City Planning Commission figures indicate a population drop from 13.6B3 in 1960 to an estimated 8.H14 in ISTn and a drop in blacks and Puerto Ricans from HltiO to 7.82:; to 5.295.

Accommodating the displaced families was one of. the city's three stated aims nearly eight years ago when it condemned 2'- acres around Sehermerhorn, Bond. State and Smith S's. for urban renewal. But because of President moratorium on federal housing funds and it somv financial difficulties, the Urban Development which bought the land and had wanted to develop nearly 1.000 high-rise apartments mostly renting for SlOO-a -room couldn't get anything off the drawing board.

Seek Federal Rent Subsidies II awarded a chunk of the parcel to private developers who are still looking for financing for unsubsi-died apartment. In mid April, it designated the Cowanus Boerum Hill Housing Association to develop the other two pieces of the property. An outgrowth of two local settlement houses and a l'-aita pe the normally tranquil Boerum housing is necessary for forgotten group of New Ynrk-who have been pushed out cf i i.uorhoods by more affluent and rc-troe rundown but oiten tear that new low income hous-t'agiie" community, which has r.cnir.e projects on its far edge, millions of dollars with speetac-y put bis housing there, they're v. us." says Constance Newsom, Hind At iion Coalition, which was a nd 1 it i n't oung Israel Dedicates Center Iraiiwav laifes Us -wSiSii Valval Si A. By STEVE GOLDSTEIN Insurance costs for the deficit-ridden Roosevelt Island aerial tram- ay will total nearly for the year ending April 15, 1979, it Mas lean.i-d yesterday.

1 S700.000" in 1978. based on the line's record of safe operation. But under the new policy, which will run until April 15. 1979. the premiums will total close to S300.000.

Why do casts remain so high? An I'nusual Proposition ''The Roosevelt Island Development Corp insure the tramway." Dormer said. The Roosevelt Island tramway is the only one in the United States that is used for mass transit purposes. We have no other alternative but to pay insurance market rates in order to provide adequate insurance coverage," he said. Dormer also blamed a fatal ski gondola crash in Squaw Valley. Calif, in April, and The News' original tramway insurance story for weakening the CMC's position in negotiating new insurance coverage.

The current policy involves 22 insurance firms. The sole broker in the deal was Alexander Alexander Services which traditionally receives a fee ranging from 10r7 to 20'; of the premium costs or in this case, S80.000 to $100,000. The tigure is le-s than last year's insurance tab. but it still means that iruialfy every penny that goes into the tramway fare box will be svval i wed by insurance premiums. l.i March.

The News disclosed that ti an ft-tit -a ride tramway has become it high flying boondoggle with a whop ping $Ki ill OiiO annual deucit. And the New i ork lapaver is lacking up the tail Paid SIM ast 'S ar I.a-t tile -tate's Ci li. Develop men: Corp. wh.ch developed the island, pant si RiiiKon in insurance premiums. 1-1 tie same ear.

the line carried million riders, bringing in some in fares. When labor and energy costs were fiihied. the true cost of transporting one pei on the three fifths of a mile between Manhattan and Uoosevelt Island is f)5 cents, according to figures. Robert T. Dormer, ailing I'DC president, told The News at the time that he hoped tiie insurance premium for the tramway would cost "under a s.

-L J'J iii News pnoro Dv cK Clarity Mark Davidman (2nd left) carries Torah as Young Israel of Forest Hills dedicates new building to memory of his mother, Shirley. Torahs were carried from main building at 7100 Yellowstone Queens, to new library recreation center at 68-08 Burns St. during ceremony. f. Anthony Promises feast for All For 2m; E'oslatfe More Uian S27.500 in postage stamp is missing from a Bronx school district that has been criti-rced in a series of audits for sloppy bookkeeping and questionable transactions.

The missing siamps were among $114,000 worth of stamps purchased bv Community School District 8 in a three-year period that ended last June, according to a report released by State Controller Arthur Levitt. District 8. which covers Clasons Point and Throgs Neck, has been the focus of a number of financial inquiries since 1973. when city officials questioned the expenditure of nearly $25,000 in tax funds to finance a trip to Creat Britain for a group of musically talented youngsters and their chaperones Although the district had promised to repay the money to the central Board of Kduca'ion. Levitt's report said the matter has still not been resolved.

Another unsettled issue, according to the report is "the problem of almost SLLOtK) of unaccounted-for fund' of fiscal years 1972 and 1973." Bob Herbert clams pastries and sausage. There will be a variety of ether to buy and enjoy. The big enl lakes place Saturday, when more than LOCO people wiil participate in the Solemn Procession of St. Anthony. DePalo.

who with his partner Louis Mandano runs Caruso fruit exchange at 152 Mott said that is when fine Italian traoition comes into play. 'Like the Old Country' dc things like in the old country." DePalo said. "We carry the statue on our shoulders to sacrifice ourselves SoPie of the women even walk barefoot during the profession in keeping with the tradition of sacrifice, DePalo c-ded. But most merrymakers are expected to wear shoes when dancing in the streets to music supplied by different hands on different nights of the festival. Plans have been made to bus people in from New Jersey and even from as far away as the New England states tc attend the festival, DePalo said.

By MARTIN KING A fun-filled festival of food, music and merriment begin in Little Italy tomorrow and runs through six days and nights to Sunday in honor of St. Anthony of Padua. It will be the 26th annual observance of the St. Anthoi.y Grand Festival and promises to be bigger and tnan ever before, since it has been expanded this year because its popularity. "The feist ran for only four or five days in the past, but so many people from so many places want to come here, we decided to let it run longer." said Joe DePalo, the event's ch'e1 organizer.

Aromatic foods, colorful lights and happy throngs of people will foim the backdrop for the many musicians and singers who perform at the festival. Crowds Expecied The will jam Mott. Grand and Broome Sts. in what has become known as a mini San Gennaro festival. Altlough smaller, the St.

Anthony feast is no less spicy with offerings of Italian delights such as calzone,.