Wednesday, September 11, 2013

RIOC President Charlene Indelicato Appearing At Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Tonight - Also, RIRA Presentation On Southpoint Park Korean Pavilion, Island Shakespeare Renovated Pier & More - Come Learn What Is Gong On

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be meeting tonight, 8 PM, at the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street).

Image of June 2011 RIRA Common Council Meeting

As always, prior to the start of each monthly meeting there is a public session in which residents can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern.

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Charlene Indelicato will be making her first appearance at a RIRA meeting tonight during the Public Session. Also speaking during the RIRA Public Session will be:
  • Sonia Jang President of the Korean Association presenting a plan to place a gazebo at Southpoint Park and
  • Island Shakespear's Kristi Artinian presenting a proposal to renovate an unused pier
RIRA President Ellen Polivy invites all Roosevelt Island residents to come and attend tonight's RIRA meeting. Ms. Polivy reports:
The endless tug of war over land

As I write this, the RIRA Common Council is preparing for it’s first meeting of the year. I am urging everyone to come to the Good Shepherd Community Center on Wednesday September 11 at 8pm. RIOC President Charlene Indelicato will be there. It will also be a public session filled with organizations presenting good ideas about use of land on the Island and in Manhattan.

Land is at a premium in New York City. How it is used and how that use affects everyone else creates an endless tug of war.

We recently had a presentation by OEM about our evacuation zones. Did you know that our evacuation center, the Julia Richman Educational Campus on 67 Street between First and Second Avenue is a sturdy old building with excellent mini schools cooperating in the sharing of common resources. Among other resources, the school has an acoustically perfect auditorium a pool and an atrium room used as an art gallery. In 2008, it was in danger of being demolished in a land swap to make way for the badly needed updated Hunter College School of Nursing and a large science research center. This plan was halted by a vote of my class of Community Board 8.

To find alternate space, Hunter College created an alliance with Memorial Sloan Kettering to build its updated nursing school and a Cancer treatment and research center. They located the site of a long vacant former sanitation garage off the FDR Drive and 73 Street. We Roosevelt Islanders will be able to watch the construction from our windows.

The proposed construction project is working its way through the New York City land use process (ULURP) just like the one Cornell just completed. One might think it is a no-brainer to put vacant property to this good use. Think again.

The community near that project is angry over the prospect of years of construction in their back yard and then future of living with the behemoth Hunter-MSK will create. The project’s developer is asking for a larger “floor to area ratio” (FAR) than City code usually allows for that zone. In return for an allowance of this bigger, denser building, the developer has agreed to provide funds to complete a long-awaited park a mile away. The community near that park is happy. Both communities are part of Community Board 8. This vote divided our Community Board in a very close vote during our part of the ULURP.

To make everyone happy over a land use project is an impossible dream

Hope to see you at our RIRA meeting.

Best regards, Ellen
Below is the Agenda for tonight's RIRA meeting:
Common Council Meeting

Please arrive a half hour early to help set up tables and chairs

RIRA Common Council Agenda

Date: Wednesday September 11, 2013
Time: 8pm-Finish

Place: Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street

1. Public Session:
RIOC President Charlene Indelicato
UNDC-East River Greenway- Frances Huppert,

Vice-President of UNDC
Korean Association presents their gazebo proposal for Southpoint Park- Sonia Jang President
RI Shakespeare presents proposal to renovate unused pier
Kristi Artinian

2. Roll call

3. Nomination for open seat

4. Approval of minutes

5. Approval of agenda

6. Treasurers Report

7. Presidents Report:

Request for approval as in report

9. Committee reports:
Public safety

By laws
Island services
Government relations
Social cultural educational
Housing
Planning

10. Old business
Rules of order proposal / bylaws review of rules of order proposal

11. New business

Disposition of items from public session and president's report
and here is discussion on the proposed Korean Gazebo at Southpoint Park during July 16 RIOC Real Estate Advisory Committee meeting.



Come learn what is happening on Roosevelt Island at tonight's RIRA meeting.

8 comments :

OldRossie said...

Good article - but no such ratio. You said "believe it or not, there are countries in Europe (and possibly elsewhere) today that have mandated income limits on CEOs, such that they cannot exceed the ratio 5:1." Which countries?

CheshireKitty said...

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b56b7a32-6f98-11e2-b906-00144feab49a.html

and

http://www.mindfulmoney.co.uk/economy/economic-impact/executive-pay-across-the-world/

and

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-04/swiss-limits-on-executive-pay-less-than-meets-the-eye

OldRossie said...

These are all really good articles, but I don't see 1 country that has the 5:1 mandate you said Euro countries (plural) have. Can you tell me one?

commonsense540 said...

Korean Pavilion Why?

commonsense540 said...

Italian Tower Why?

commonsense540 said...

Irish Pub maybe!

commonsense540 said...

What is relevance, just because someone suggests it you guys discuss it

CheshireKitty said...

The center of the Korean-American community in NYC is Flushing, NY, just as the center of the Greek-American community is Astoria, NY. Thus, Athens Square Park, which includes a colonnade and statues of Socrates and the goddess Athena, is located in Astoria. http://www.queensbuzz.com/athens-park---astoria-ny-cms-73

The proposed pagoda is gorgeous; however, it makes no sense to locate it several miles from the center of the Korean-American community.

The notion that the pagoda should have a view of the UN is IMO somewhat questionable as a justification or explanation for its proposed location on RI. The UN's role in the Korean War, which resulted in the sad division of Korea to this day, is briefly outlined in the following link http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/united_nations_korean_war.htm

The Korean War and the subsequent division of the Korean peninsula could not be prevented by the UN. Exactly what has the UN done since then re the reunification of the Korean peninsula? Given these sad facts, I do not see what the pagoda "gains" by being constructed with a view of the UN.

As the article says, the UN was unable to monitor post WW2 elections in the northern half of the peninsula and this was one of the factors that led to the bloody war. The UN seemingly could not keep world peace in this conflict. It was an unfortunate period of the Cold War playing out as a real war for several years, with each side - the S vs the N, insisting they had a right to rule the other half. So I do not see why having this pagoda facing the UN makes for a necessarily "positive" or "happy" association. I hope the 2 Koreas can someday be reunited; even though the Cold War has ended I do not see that happening anytime soon.

The pagoda should be situation near a less fraught landmark IMO. When one thinks of Korea, one is reminded of a wonderful country with a long history and a beautiful culture, as well as the current S. Korea, with its dynamic economy nearly overtaking that of Japan. Koreans make many contributions in science, engineering, and the arts - to name just a few areas of success. If I were Korean-American, I would want to have the pagoda, a symbol of Korean national traditions, located in a contemplative glade, with shady trees, perhaps near a lake. A location such as Meadow Lake at Flushing Meadow Park http://www.nycgovparks.org/park-features/virtual-tours/flushing-meadows/meadow-lake might be ideal. Moreover, this location is within walking distance of Flushing.

With regard to the problem of possible vandalism of such a beautiful structure within an isolated location in Flushing Meadow Park: The pagoda could be under 24/7 camera surveillance with signs prominently posted that it is monitored continuously. To enable the camera to keep recording after dark, the structure could be illuminated overnight.

Yet, there are many other possible beautiful park locations near Flushing (where there are many other parks, including several on the E. River). Or, a location could be selected in downtown Brooklyn such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, or Lower Manhattan, or even Staten Island, that would afford a view not only of the Manhattan skyline but also the Statue of Liberty - a much more positive symbol IMO than the UN in terms of the Korean-American community. That, at least, is my opinion on locating the pagoda on RI.