Security Photo ID's Being Implemented For Roosevelt Island's Manhattan Park Building Complex - Is Manhattan Park Losing Its Relaxing Atmosphere?

Roosevelt Island's Manhattan Park buildings complex management recently sent out this notice to resident:

Dear Residents,

We have recently begun using the Photo ID feature on Buildinglink. The purpose of this is for the concierge in every building to become more familiar with the faces of their residents, for safety reasons and to improve overall service. Please come to the Rental Office at 30 River Road from the hours of 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. any day except Thursdays to have your picture taken. Please ask for Remy.

Thank you,
Manhattan Park Rental Office

A Manhattan Park resident comments on the new photo id feature and other matters of concern for Manhattan Park residents:

I don't personally have an issue with it - we seem to have a rotating series of people behind the counters, which means they don't really get to know the residents very well and this will (potentially) increase security. I'm not making it a priority to skip work and go get my photo done, however.

We do have a number of people in the buildings who greatly value their privacy who may not desire to store their image in such a system. There are also a number of folks with "guests" and the Air B&B crowd who are renting out space for the long or short term who certainly will object, as this will complicate their additional revenue stream (they already try to make that difficult by not mailing our rent statements and instead sticking them on the doors the day they're due - since the amount changes every month with the utility charges, you need to get the statement in order to pay).

I do see it as somewhat poorly announced and handled. This email is the first we've heard. Coupled with the increasingly unenjoyable environment at MP - the workers busy on the facade, the elevators being modernized/repaired, and the streets being shut off and dug up, MP has lost much of the relaxing park-like atmosphere to which I was first attracted. Now, getting to and from my apartment has become a hassle. One might think a smart management company would be going out of their way to keep residents happy at this time.

Here's what Main Street looks like for Manhattan Park residents during it's reconstruction and the moving of the Gristedes/Motorgate bus stop to 10 River Road.



A resident tweeted earlier today about the Main Street construction:

It takes the red bus 30 minutes to get across Main Street because of construction! Damn you Roosevelt Island!
— Silent Horrors (@Silent_Horrors) September 19, 2012

On photo ID's, DNA INFO recently reported:

Residents of a 1,200-unit apartment complex at Broadway and 135th Street held a 12-hour protest against a plan by management to require them to have photo id to enter the building.

Chanting "Enough is enough!" the residents, joined by representatives of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, state Assemblymen Keith Wright and City Councilman Robert Jackson, said complex owner Urban American Management should have consulted with residents about ways to improve safety before instituting the plan....