Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Tonight - Agenda and Committee Reports Below

Previous RIRA Common Council Meeting

I received the following message from the Roosevelt Island Residents Association concerning their monthly meeting later tonight.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association

AGENDA

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Time: 8:00 P.M. - Finish
Place: Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street
1. Public Session (8:00)
- Amalgamated Bank presentation on change of ownership of NYNB branch, 15 minutes

2. Roll Call (8:15)
X 3. Approval of Agenda (8:20)
X 4. Approval of Minutes (8:20)
5. Treasurer’s Report (8:30)
6. President's Report (8:35)
- Internal correspondence
- RIOC agenda item for RIRA Upcoming June 17 Town Hall meeting
7. Committee Reports (8:45)
Government Relations - M. Smith
- Report on RIOC elections
Public Safety - R. Schuppert
Housing - J. Micheff & L. Strong-Shinozaki
Social, Cultural and Educational Services - N. Leopold
- Committee report
Island Services - A. Hamburger
- Committee report
Planning - M. Katz
Communications - E. Erickson
Status report on RIOC long-term budgeting.

8. Old Business (9:45)
9. New Business (9:45)

10. Adjourn

X Agenda items requiring action
Town Hall Meeting for June RIOC Board Meeting: Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 8-9:30PM
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (Mailing Deadline: September 4, 2009)
Future 2009 Meetings: October 7, November 4, December 2
RIRA Committee Chairs Planning Meeting, Summer 2009: To be announced, in Sunday afternoon July/August

Another item agenda is a resolution supporting the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association proposal for a FDR Memorial that includes a representation of FDR in a Wheelchair or on Crutches:

PROPOSED RESOLUTION REGARDING MEMORIAL DEPICTION OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IN THE PLANS FOR THE KHAN MEMORIAL PARK

WHEREAS: From its initial planning stages, Roosevelt Island was conceived as a place in New York City that could be accessible and comfortable to disabled residents;

WHEREAS: We live in the America of President Barack Obama and Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor - the America where now more than ever before we are witness to an unprecedented abundance of role models from previously underrepresented segments of society, who have overcome racial, ethnic, and class struggles to rise to the highest levels of leadership;

WHEREAS before them was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who despite being disabled by Polio and confined to a wheelchair, was elected President of the United States, and is now remembered as one of the most effective and courageous men to have led this country;

WHEREAS school aged children have been awakened now to aspire to higher achievements, once thought to be beyond their grasp, a memorial depicting President Roosevelt, as he truly lived, in a wheelchair or in crutches, would have the same effect on the disabled community to see that one of our most beloved presidents was able to overcome his disability and be elected to the highest office in the country.

WHEREAS: The continued resident population of Roosevelt Island, uniquely comprised in significant part by many disabled persons, residing both independently in apartments or within the two chronic care hospitals located on the island, renders a true an accurate portrayal of President Roosevelt more meaningful and poignant on Roosevelt Island than any in any other location

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Roosevelt Island Residents Association supports a plan for the Khan Memorial Park that celebrates President Roosevelt as a disabled person by depicting him in a wheelchair or on crutches.

For clarification purposes only, it is not the Khan Memorial Park but the FDR Memorial Park. In its present form it just seems as though it is really a Louis Kahn memorial.

Below are the minutes from last meeting, report from Island Services Committee and Youth Services Sub-Committee.

There's More!

RIRA Common Council Minutes
May 6th, 2009

1. Roll called, quorum for meeting present, meeting called to order 20:12
2. Public Session – none.
3. Agenda approved by unanimous consent
4. Review of minutes
1. Matthew Katz corrected date for annual Blood Drive. Roosevelt Island Day has been moved from June 13th to June 6th. The Blood Drive will take place on June 6th instead of the June 13th.
2. Committee reports: SC&Z should be changed to SC&E
3. Minutes corrected and unanimously approved
5. Treasurer's Report – Russell Fields
1. Regular Acct: $2981.42, Legal Acct: $1224.70
2. NYNB will be closing. Amalgamated branch is still pending
3. Micah Kellner has secured $10,000 for RIRA through his discretionary funds
1. Council needs to decide what to do with the funds
2. Charlie Berg proposed the possibility of using the funds for the public purpose committee
3. Will be discussed at future meetings
6. President's Report – Charlie Berg for Frank Farance
1. Frank Farance met with Steve Shane to discuss the Columbia transportation presentation. Shane agreed to experiment with a fixed schedule for the month of June. Matthew Katz expressed the disconnect in expectations in the Columbia presentation. Regarding the Columbia presentation, Gad Levenon and Isabel Perez expressed his disappointment at the tone of Frank’s RIRA Main Street Wire piece. Elizabeth Erickson thought the conversation was inappropriate without Frank present.
2. Steve Marcus suggested that the Common Council have a dialog on the column at a future RIRA meting. Council agreed to discuss at the June RIRA meeting
3. Charlie Berg reported that Frank Farance had reached an agreement with Steve Shane to try a fixed Red Bus schedule experiment week of 5/11/09.
7. New Business
1. The RIOC Board elections will take place on May 19th, 2009. RIRA volunteers are needed
8. Committee reports
1. SC&E committee: Request for $300 to fund coffee and bagels for Roosevelt Island Day. Request was unanimously approved
2. All other committees as submitted or no report.
9. Fernando Barnes had a discussion with Octagon regarding a Water Taxi during the time the tram is shut down. Barbara Clark said that it was too costly and that operational expenses were a problem. Matthew Katz and Fernando will look into it further. Fernando recommended talking to building owners about subsidizing the project.
10. Old Business
1. Matthew Katz reported on progress with Blood Drive. Table will be set up every Saturday at the farmers market to recruit blood donors. Volunteer sign up sheet was passed around to individuals to man that table
2. RIOC poll committee: Ashton Barfield made a request for poll workers. Matthew Katz reiterated importance of RIOC elections
11. Adjourned.

And Island Service Committee Report

RIRA – ISLAND SERVICES COMMITTEE (ISC)
REPORT TO COMMON COUNCIL MEETING 6/3/09

Updates
o Credit Card Theft – No breaks yet in this case. Investigations
continue.
o Bike Storage Racks At Subway Station – RIOC implemented a new
policy which is to remove all bikes left in the racks between 2 am – 5
am. This system seems to be working as substantially more room is
now available for regular bike storage throughout the day.
o Red Bus Service – RIOC’s experiment with a standardized schedule
between 10 am – 11:30 am is underway. If successful in improving
service, this system will be expanded to other time periods, perhaps
eventually to all time periods.
Public Library
There is still no apparent cooperation/coordination between the
Public Library and PS/IS 217. ISC is working to get the Library and
217 to establish programs/book exchanges to benefit the students.
ISC now has a high-level contact at the New York Public
Library whom we can go to for help in improving the services at our
Public Library.

And Youth Services Sub-Committee report:

SC&E Committee Report
May 28th, 2009

Youth Services Sub-Committee Meeting

In Attendance:

Common Council Members: Nikki Leopold, Phoebe Flynn, Gad Levanon,
Paco Bozzano Barnes, Frank Farance, Ellen Polivy

Community members: Brian Dorfman, Scot Bobo, Kristen Goldmansor,

Committee discussed concerns surrounding Island youth services. The attendee discussed the focus of the youth services committee and identified the following areas that need to be addressed:

• Raising the quality of the current youth programs being offered in the RI
community
• Raising awareness of current youth service offerings
• Coordination of disparate Island youth agencies
• Evaluating the well roundedness of current offerings
• Including Island youth in discussions pertaining to Island youth services.
Create a youth forum in which topics such as arts, education and sports
are the focus
• Advocacy for Island youth organizations
• The need to identify youth who do not get involved
• Parent Education: Impressing the importance to parents on the need to have children involved in extra curricular activities

The youth services sub committee will meet again in 2 weeks to continue this discussion and start to create action items.