Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Meeting Tonight - RIRA Committee Reports on Red Bus Schedule/Stops/Strollers, Housing, Proposed Science Center and More
Image of April 2011 Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be meeting 8 PM tonight, May 4, at the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street). The Agenda for the meeting is below. As always, prior to the start of each meeting there is a public session in which any resident can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern.
Also, remember that Roosevelt Island's NY State Senator Jose Serrano has Roosevelt Island constituent office hours just prior to the RIRA monthly meeting and on the first Wednesday of every month from 4 - 7 PM at RIOC Headquarters 591 Main Street.
If you have any questions to ask Senator Serrano's staff or are in need of any assistance that may require the help of your elected representative stop on by RIOC HQ. Also, bring photocopies of any paperwork related to your situation so that the Serrano staff can effectively and efficiently address the issue.
Below is the Agenda for the May RIRA Common Council:
May 4, RIRA Agenda
and RIRA Committee Reports.
RIRA – ISLAND SERVICES COMMITTEE (ISC) REPORT TO THE COMMON COUNCIL MEETING, 5/5/11If you are interested in learning more about what is happening on Roosevelt Island, come on down to tonight's RIRA meeting. Sometimes, it can get quite exciting, in a Roosevelt Island sort of way.
Updates on the key issues ISC is working on:
Red Bus –Schedule, Stops, Strollers – RIRA (President, Planning & Island Services Committees)met with RIOC (Martinez & Cy Opperman)| on 4/25/11 to review Red Bus. We agreed on the following: Schedule – The buses are now operating close to schedule. The main problem causing delays is double parked vehicles on Main St. in Northtown. RIRA suggested that RIC might want to prohibit parking on Main St. at selected locations from 7 am to 9 am on weekday mornings. The key to maintaining a schedule is proper headway between buses. Opperman or another RIOC person will meet or dispatch buses at the Octagon and/or the subway/Tram stops during rush hours.
Stops- The East Tram bus stop will be the principal place to discharge passengers and load passengers. Buses will also dwell here as necessary. The West Tram bus stop, at the kiosk, will probably be retained as a service for Goldwater employees and other passengers from Sportspark and the tennis facility.
Strollers – RIOC agreed to studying and changing the policy of not letting strollers on during rush hours. We expect that the no-strollers policy will be eliminated or substantially modified in the next few months. If the policy is changed, RIO\C will need help from RIRA in explaining to parents and other residents proper protocol for using the buses during rush hours.
Pedestrian Safety Barrier on RI Bridge – We have not received an official response From the NYC DOT to our letter outlining a safety problem at the RI Bridge. However, our “informers” at DOT say that the issue is circulating around the organization.
Public Library – Senator Serranoʼs office informed us that the grant for the Public Library is expected to be $300K.
Aaron Hamburger, Chair - ISC
February 2011: RIRA Housing Committee Minutes
By Russell Fields
The Committee met on 2/27/11 and the attendees included Lorraine Williams, Romano Reid , Russell Fields, Ellen Polivy, and Committee Chairwoman Helen Chirivas.
Our Committee met to consider the following:
1. HEAP – Home Energy Assistance Program‐ for low income utility expense assistance. Ellen and Steve Heller are planning a meeting with a lawyer from the Urban Justice center to assist eligible residents of all buildings with filing problems.
2. Discussion of Jose Serrano’s submetering legislation securing that all housing allowances will be fair to all affected tenants in NYS; currently in State Senate Committee.
3. Formation of a Housing Subcommittee called, HOUSING CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES to deal with the following issues (see attached resolution) a) Adequate disclosure of utility status for each building when referring to the building in common usage, b) Accepting housing related complaints at the RIRA mail box and by email for referral to building committees, state agencies, and designated parties and follow‐up thereon. c) Conducting electronic surveys on housing issues and satisfaction ratings for all buildings and publishing the results.
4. In addition concerns over the ongoing affordability were discussed including possible solutions.
5. There is considered to be inadequate disclosure in clear language as to the how the buildings are heated and if their utility bills are submetered. We are concerned that non disclosure might cause a surprise burden to potential tenants. We believe that for a potential tenant to make an informed decision, this information must be available at the time of decision making. Russell is researching which buildings already disclose this information on their websites or in their marketing literature and what they say.
Southern Development Review – a sub-committee of the RIRA Planning Committee April 28, 2011
Last Thursday, we had the first in-person meeting of the SD (Science Center) Sub- committee of the RIRA Planning and Resident's council. We agreed that there are the following broad categories of discussion.
• Transportation - during construction and once the new facility opens.
• Integration - this includes ideas about the RFP-winner being able to leverage existing facilities either currently on the island or planned for it, ingress/egress for the new physical plant (i.e. a strong preference not to have a gated community inaccessible to residents) and other items of discussion.
• Facilities - this dovetails with the above.
• Logistics - among other things this includes thinking through waste removal via the "avac" system, construction loads over the helix roadway from Queens and the issues around the possibility of simultaneous construction projects if Southtown's planned additional residences are being built at the same time.
• Youth - how could the science center be of value to our youth? What might be a reasonable partnership with bid winner in terms of local schools and programs?
• Idealized conceptions - while there are many, one of the most interesting is the suggestion of a bio-medical engineering program to be developed to work in conjunction with Coler hospital at the North end.
Our next steps are to further refine each line item under the above and work with RIOC to arrange a discussion with NYEDC regarding our ideas and suggestions. We will be meeting again within the next few weeks. If any island resident would like to join the committee now is the time. Given the announced schedule, we need to work quickly to assist in optimizing the outcome for Roosevelt Island and the eventual designee."
Denise Shull Chair - SD sub-committee May 1, 2011
I am unable to attend tonight's meeting so if anyone wishes to report on what happened please let me know.
24 comments :
Let's make sure that our Red Bus "advocates" do not get confused here about a few things.
Priority for bus loading, seating should still go first to individuals with disabilities - including wheelchair users, appliance users, mobility challenged and otherwise frail individuals who need "easy on - easy off" bus access.
The elderly deserve some priority access as well.
Stroller and shopping carts on the buses at rush hour require some common sense lifting of front seats so they do not block the already crowded aisles. That we have not had an internal bus accident with a stroller or shopping cart resulting in a law suit is a miracle -- but how much longer will our luck hold out.
Individuals with shopping carts and persons with strollers -- well, I have lived here long enough to see these neighbors jockey in front of many of regular folks thinking they have some sort of legal entitlement to the Red Bus -- well, you don't.
I sure hope RIOC, who still cannot make the buses run (where is Mussolini when you need him ?) on any type of sensible schedule - especially in rush hours -- gets their act together. I do not think RIRA, tho well intentioned, is going to be successful here.
Long Time Red Bus Booster.
I think the most inconsiderate parents are the ones who think they can push the biggest strollers onto the bus. Or the ones who push any kind of stroller into a bus during rush hours. I have a hard time to understand what's going through those people's minds. I am a parent of two children and I would never do such a thing.
No More Southtown buildings until RIOC takes care of what it already has and improves the current infrastructure for transportation and other woes.
there must be a building with affordable rents, no more of this high rent b.s.
well another rira meeting, where nothing gets done . you people all need to get a life.
Listening to Matt talk all night is quite boring.
i go to these meeting , because i can not fall asleep .so i go to these meeting ,and i am sleeping within 5 mins..you people on the rira need to get a life, you all get nothing done.
I HATE WHAT HAS BECOME OF THIS ISLAND .BEFORE SOUTHTOWN CAME .AND IT WAS ONLY THE WIRE BUILDINGS, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAID HELLO TO EACH OTHER, BUT NO MORE,ROOSEVELT ISLAND AS IT WAS THEN IS NO MORE. .HIGH RENTS, NEW PEOPLE, WHO HAS MOVED HERE S,,K THIS WAS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE FOR MIDDLE AND LOW INCOME PEOPLE . BUT NO MORE . THE OWNERS WANT US LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME PEOPLE OFF THE ISLAND , NO MORE AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS .BUT WE WILL STAY AND FIGHT WE ARE NOT GOING OFF THE ISLAND ,THE HELL WITH YOU NEW PEOPLE ,
Poster from 10:01pm, and people like him/her really need to stop with the income segregation comments. My mom raised me here and she was on Section 8. I now own my own apartment and choose to live on R.I. because of the diversity here. I don't want anyone to move. We should all be able to live here and our income should have nothing to do with it. I'm sure the vast majority feel the same way.
to poster 6;18 p.m yea right diversity.where the hell you . been .for the last 5 years ,you say you live on the island i dont think so .diversity yea up to like 5 years ago. now no more afordable apartments in eastwood ,all new housing being build here is all high rent apartments . how many new black people have moved onto the island in the last 5 years .when you take the subway notice how many black people are coming out of the subway and going to their homes on main street ,open your eyes you fool, this island is becoming all white and asians with money. cant you see what is going on here ,and rioc is letting it happend .this island was for mixed income but no more can you not see what is going on here .take your head out of the sand and see how this island is changing . eastwood alone has lose over 200 middle income famies in the last 5 years ,there are over 200 vacant apartments in eastwood . these apartments had good hard working middle income people living in them .
yea right ,there is alot of diversity in southtown,lol lol lol lol wake up people
the reason why there was diversity here when you were growing up on the island, is because it was mixed income at that time .can you not understand that,
the head of rioc is useless. she takes her orders from the buildings owners, and the people who live in rivercross
alot of you people reading what i say ,may not like what i say, but you and i know it is all true.
i was just on the rira facebook page .i was lol .all of you need to get on with your lives,rira is useless they mean nothing . no one cares what you all have to say ,that couple from sothtown who works for google. them 2 are the new face of roosevelt island , people making over 100.000 per year ,go move to the upper east side. please.the reason why they are closing goldwater is because the people in southtown paying high rents do not want to see these black sick people on the street during the summer time the owners do not want the people living in southtown seeing them .its bad for business.after all. these people are paying high rents no way should they have to see sick people when they come out of the subway .
To Jr.
Your comments are true, so now I ask of you to please leave, you are not wanted here.
The sooner the better.
well if my comments are true ,then why would you want me to leave.is it not good for the people on this island to know the truth . when it seems i am the only one willing to tell it like it is . not even the main street wire tells the truth about this island, i think you are trying to keep a cover on things that are going on on this island .you do not want me to stay because i am telling the truth ,am i right .
oh i am sorry ,lets have everyone living on this island hold each others hands ,and sing songs .
The reason for the closure of the hospital has nothing to do with southtown - New York Health and Hospitals has been running out of money to run things like that for a long time due to declining reimbursements for long term care. Also, some of the people who live there could afford to work to pay for some of their expenses - it doesn't take working legs to do admin work. I'm not giving one dime to the gurney guy so he can buy cigarettes and smoke in public places and incur more medical debt paid for from my taxes.
Jr, you must have A LOT of time on your hands by attempting to continue dominating this blog. The fact of the matter is, we will all be better off when you are not on RI anymore. You are as ignorant as they come!!!!
If you are so unhappy here leave!! Things change, this is not 1970 anymore.
Not for nothing hut i am not going to race debate here.
Southtown and other developments on the island are open for anyone that can afford to live there. Last I checked, there hasnt been a denial of application or denial of sale/rental to persons who are not white.
I dont understand how you twisted this into a race debate.
Get off your highhorse of leeching off my taxes with your welfare.
If you cant afford it, then its not for you.
If a black family comes to RI and looks at an apertment and can afford 3,000 a month, then he can freely move in with his family.
If a white family comes to RI and looks at an apartment for 3,000 but cannot afford it, guess what, they csnt live in that apartment.
Stop putting the successful people down. If you failed in life and are happy leaching a few hundred dollars a month from us taxpayers and happy with us picking up your section 8 rental tab, fine. Just keep your mouth shut and stop making thins a race issue.
This post, of 5/8 @ 2:51, is extremely tasteless and nasty. I copy it here for the reader's convenience to re-read carefully: "The reason for the closure of the hospital has nothing to do with southtown - New York Health and Hospitals has been running out of money to run things like that for a long time due to declining reimbursements for long term care. Also, some of the people who live there could afford to work to pay for some of their expenses - it doesn't take working legs to do admin work. I'm not giving one dime to the gurney guy so he can buy cigarettes and smoke in public places and incur more medical debt paid for from my taxes."
I have to point out to the commenter that whether or not the HHC is running out of money for chronic care facilities, it will still have to provide the care one way or another as it is mandated to do so by law. We know the entire health care insurance system as it is is running out of money - Medicare is in trouble etc. There are systemic, structural problems with the way health care is reimbursed. But to say Goldwater is closing because the HHC is running out of money to run "things like that" that is, to take care of the chronically ill, is incorrect and disparaging in an off-hand, arrogant way. You may be young and strong today, but time passes and it is possible you like many of us reading or posting on this forum one day will need some form of assistance if not outright hospitalization in a chronic care facility. Consider that carefully before you level dismissive remarks about Goldwater and Coler, both of which are remarkable and excellent facilities. Or would you rather the chronically ill simply-- disappear?
Next, you suggest that some of the chronically ill residents of G-C could get a job to pay for a portion of their expenses at G-C. Have you noticed there is an ongoing scarcity of jobs in NYC, that the unemployment rate probably exceeds the national rate which is currently 9%? Some people in NYC have been on unemployment for many months because of the stubbornly high unemployment rate. What makes you think that if the young, the fully physically capable, the "attractive" cannot find jobs, that it would be easy or possible even for a disabled individual hope to obtain a job in that kind of job climate? Your remarks in this regard are suggestive not only of arrogance, but also stupidity.
And as for your final comment, which is about as uncharitable as it gets, imagine if you were confined to a gurney on RI. I wouldn't deny this guy any minor thrill such as a dime to buy smokes because it can't be very pleasant to observe the world from the same position year in year out, and especially to have to watch day in and day out arrogant creeps such as you scrambling in to the City each day to greedily claw for and smear themselves in filthy lucre. I'm sorry to inform you but the disabled guy is a saint compared to heartless people like you.
Jr., you must think you're the only black person who lives here. Well, I am the poster from above at 6:18 and I am BLACK. My mother who is on Section 8, raised me to be educated and after garduating from College, I got a job on Wall Street. I bought my apartment in Riverwalk because this island is DIVERSE. Diverse with not only blacks, but Latinos, Asians and folks from Middle Eastern Countries. Diverse with those who make a good living and those on Section 8 - like my mom.
You really need to move on to another neighborhood. You're too disgruntled to live in this vibrant community.
Poster above at 3:01, don't let fools like Jr get to you. If you see his posts on every topic, they are all negative. He is a disgruntled person who lives to complain. I give him credit for posting with his name, but only so that others can see what a sad person he is.
I too live here because of the Diversity and wish "we could all just get along."
This Blog, for the most part, is good. But, it also breeds complainers who never want to be part of the solution. They're just part of the problem.
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