Goals for Rebuilding
Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot), a coalition of civic groups, businesses and downtown residents, released a white paper last month with preliminary goals for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan. The report can be found on R.Dot’s website, accessible through www.architect.org. The recommendations were similar to those released in January by New York New Visions—another coalition involved in the rebuilding process—and posted at nynv.aiga.org. A third redevelopment group, Civic Alliance, has also produced similar guidelines, based on a forum attended by 600 people on Feb. 7, and a final report will be posted this month on www.civic-alliance.org.

Ballfield Work to Begin
Downtown’s field of dreams will soon begin rising from the ashes of the Sept. 11 nightmare. The Battery Park City Authority hopes to break ground for permanent ballfields, on the site of the former temporary fields, by the end of this month. The new fields will include dugouts, a scoreboard, lights and other amenities.

Work was supposed to begin last fall, but instead the site became a parking lot for World Trade Center emergency and cleanup vehicles. The Department of Transportation is scheduled to clear out by March 11, and the approximately seven-month construction project should start soon afterwards, according to Battery Park City Authority’s president, Tim Carey.

Artist-in-Residence
Tribeca’s Performing Arts Center presents the Work and Show Festival, a showcase of work developed by its artists-in-residence from March 15 to 18. This year’s performances include a musical and two dance pieces. The Arts Center is at 199 Chambers St. Tickets are $10 and $8 for students and seniors. Call 346-8510 for tickets.

School Tours
Downtown’s elementary schools are hosting tours this month for prospective parents. P.S. 150, also known as the Tribeca Learning Center, will give tours at 9 a.m. on March 12, 19 and 26. The school, created last year by the merger of the Early Childhood Center and Bridges, includes pre-K through 5th grade and serves all of District 2. For information or to sign up, call 732-4392.

P.S. 234 has two open houses for kindergarten through 5th grade, on March 6 and 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. Pre-K tours take place March 7 and 12, from 11:15 a.m. to noon. Call 233-6034 to sign up.

P.S. 89 will host a tour on March 20, from 9 to 10 a.m. Parents should meet in the cafeteria. Call 571-5658 for more information.

School registration at all the schools will take place in early April.

BMCC Adult Education
Many of the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s adult education courses begin in March and April, including classes on business software, website design, personal finance, foreign language and yoga. Classes range in price from $40 to $400. Call 220-8350.

Health Forum
Forums on the public health impacts of Sept.11 continue unabated. On March 14, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., the Program in Urban Public Health at Hunter College Schools of Health Professions will host a free conference on the topic at the Hunter College Kaye Playhouse, at 68th Street and Lexington Ave. For details or to register go to www.hunter.cuny.edu/health/uph/911.htm.

An Evening of Remembrance
St. Peter's Church, on the edge of Ground Zero at Barclay and Church streets, is opening its doors to all who want to remember and reflect on the aftermath of Sept. 11. Its special ecumenical "Evening of Prayer and
Healing," to be held on Thursday, March 21 at 5:30 p.m., will include two hours of readings, music, dialogue and quiet time, marking six months since the tragedy.