Film Buffs Wanted for Festival

Tribeca Productions, organizer of the first Tribeca Film Festival, which is scheduled for May, is looking for hundreds of volunteers to help organize and stage screenings, do production work, help at registration tables and the box office, and do a range of other jobs. An information session for prospective volunteers will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m., at P.S./I.S. 89, 201 Warren St. Festival coordinators will make presentations about the different kinds of volunteers and skills they're looking for, and people who are interested will be able to apply for work in areas they prefer. Another info session will probably be held in March. For more information, call 866-941-FEST or go to www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

CB1 Members Join Gerson Team

"I didn’t set out to raid Community Board 1," newly sworn City Councilman Alan Gerson said last month of four of his new hires. "It just works out that these people are extraordinarily talented in their respective areas.’’

Gerson announced that Robin Forst, who chaired CB1’s Battery Park City Committee, would be his "transitional" deputy chief of staff, and David Feiner, chairman of the board’s Youth Committee, will be his director and liaison for youth and education. Tammy To, a member of Community School Board 2 as well as CB1, will be director of constituency services and liaison to Chinatown. CB1 member Dorothy Drayton, a vice president of the Independence Plaza Tenants Association, will first serve as transitional administrator, then as Gerson’s liaison to community organizations.

Forst and To, both full-time appointments, are not allowed to remain on the community board because of conflict of interest rules. And the board is appealing a ruling that Drayton and Feiner, part-time appointments, must also resign.

"They’ll still be serving the district and the community," said Gerson, who as councilman appoints half the board members. "We’ll find people who are qualified to fill the vacancies."

Gerson, who will chair the Council’s new Lower Manhattan Development Committee, said his first priorities in office will be health and safety, which will include a hearing on the removal of World Trade Center debris to barges on the Hudson River.

"I want to make sure that all precautions are taken and that we eliminate the menace of the barges as soon as possible," he said.

CB1 Positions Open

Community Board 1 will have at least three vacancies in April. Anyone interested in joining the board, which advises on local development, zoning, planning and other issues, must apply to Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields’ office by March 1. CB1 encompasses Tribeca, Battery Park City, the Financial District and the Seaport area, and board membership is open to anyone who works or lives in the district. For information, call 669-8300.

A High School on Laight Street

Community Board 1, the Board of Education and School District 2 are discussing a possible new high school in an vacant building at 40 Laight St., between Hudson and Varick streets. If CB1 can come up with $15 million for renovations, the Board of Ed may rent the space and operate the school, said CB1 chair Madelyn Wils. The community board is talking to foundations and charities, and welcomes any tips on funding sources.

Park Board Elections

Elections for the Washington Market Park’s board of directors, the volunteers who help oversee the park and plan its events, is coming up in March and the board is looking for candidates. Those interested should send letters about themselves and their views on park issues to: Election Committee, 295 Greenwich St. #227, NYC 10007. Deadline is Feb. 15.

Small Business Forum

City Councilman Alan Gerson and Community Board 1 will host a forum for Downtown’s small businesses on Feb. 27, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Pace University’s Schimmel Center. Government agencies and private assistance groups will be on hand to help business owners and to discuss ways to improve the local economy. For information, call 788-7722.

Book Drive for Children

P.S. 234 is again participating in Project Cicero, a book drive for needy children. New and lightly used children’s books will be collected March 4–7 at the school, and will be given to city public schools, community centers and homeless shelters. For information, parents should call Linda Lakhdhir at 965-9281; students can contact Daniel Lakhdhir in Sandy Bridges’ class at P.S. 234.

Book on Post-9/11 Life by Tribeca Writer

In "A Mother’s Essays from Ground Zero," published last month, Wickham Boyle, a longtime Tribeca resident, reflects on life downtown after the World Trade Center tragedy. Profits from sales of the book, which is available at local stores, will benefit the Church Street School for Music and Art, I.S. 89 and P.S. 234.

Coast Guard Boating Course Starts Feb. 20

Calling aspiring captains: The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla will give a 12-week sailing and power boating course, meeting Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m., beginning Feb. 20. The course costs $70, which includes materials. Classes are held at the Coast Guard building near the Staten Island Ferry terminal. To register, call Bruce at 718-805-2730.