The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) reports:
On Saturday, June 11th, come out and continue the tradition of celebrating Roosevelt Island in fine fashion! Starting at 9 AM the Good Shepherd Plaza will be full of volunteers, activities, entertainment, games and so much more!
Don’t miss out on a day full of excitement and fun! And be sure to join us at Firefighter's Field that evening at dusk for Territory: Short Films About Turf Wars, presented by Rooftop Films!
This free event is sponsored by Urban American, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and Roosevelt Island Youth Program.
The MTA has issued a weekend service advisory for the F train, which may affect travel plans. The Tram will run on a rush hour schedule from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM to accommodate any increase in traffic. Please plan your travel accordingly and visit mta.info/weekender or call 511 for more information.
For electronic updates on F Train service, sign up for MTA Alerts at mymtaalerts.com.
The Roosevelt Island Garden Club (RIGC) is offering Free Herb Seed Planting for children and adults of all ages during Roosevelt Island Day tomorrow, June 11, from 10 AM - 12 PM at the Farmers Market.
Cornell Tech will hold a town hall meeting on Monday, June 13th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Manhattan Park Theatre Club, 8 River Road. Please join us for an update on academic programming, campus construction, campus operations, K-12 education and community programming.
Both food trucks serve very tasty food. So, what do you prefer, waffles or pizza.
Neapolitan Express Food Truck has been regularly serving Roosevelt Island for the last several months. Hope Wafles & Dinges does going forward this summer.
According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
As part of Roosevelt Island Day, this Saturday, June 11th, there will be E-Waste Recycling and Paper Shredding events at 591 Main Street.
Please bring all of your unwanted electronics such as working and non-working computers, cellphones, PDA”s etc. from 10 AM - 4 PM. The E-Waste truck is sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center.
From 10 AM - 2 PM you will be able to drop off up to three bags (grocery sized) of paper containing personal information such as, medical records and bank statements to be securely shredded for free, courtesy of AARP.
Events will be rain or shine. For further information please visit http://rioc.ny.gov/
Help us continue Roosevelt Island's tradition of being clean and green!
The Roosevelt Island Senior Center provides programs and services for NYC residents 55 years of age and older funded by the NYC Department For The Aging (DFTA). Services include:
The long time operator of the Roosevelt Island Senior Center was replaced this week by the NYC DFTA. Starting July 1, the Carter Burden Center For The Aging will operate the contract to provide Roosevelt Island Senior Services. No reason has been announced for replacing the Roosevelt Island Senior Center.
Roosevelt Island Seniors Association (a separate organization from the Roosevelt Island Senior Center) incoming President Barbara Parker reports:
DFTA has come in for the balance of June to oversee the programs, lunches, the classes and any other programs scheduled under DFTA,
As of July 1st, The Roosevelt Island Senior Association will run their own programs and events As of July 1st Carter Burden will oversee all the classes, lunches events and programs.
Both organizations are looking forward to working together to enhance community program for our members.
I asked Ms. Parker if:
... an investigation is being conducted regarding Roosevelt Island Senior Center practices.
Ms Parker replied:
No. There is no investigation being conducted regarding the Roosevelt Island Senior Association.
There will be no interruption of services for Roosevelt Island seniors from the Roosevelt Island Senior Center.
The Carter Burden Center will be taking over the contract starting July 1 and will bring the similar services offered at current centers to Roosevelt Island and you can learn more at CarterBurdenCenter.org.
I will continue to work closely with the Department for the Aging to ensure that this transition will be a smooth one for all senior center staff and seniors.
The Roosevelt Island Senior Center is devoted to its mission to enhance the well-being of senior citizens from all ethnicities and financial backgrounds. The center will promote the general welfare of senior citizens and provide programs to meet the physical, social, civil and recreational needs for the senior population on Roosevelt Island....
In October 2015, RIRA's Island Services Committee was asked to investigate the programs and services offered by the Roosevelt Island Senior Center. According to the RIRA ISC June 2016 Report:
... Enhanced Programs and Services at Senior Center – ISC has decided to not make this an active issue at present. Instead, we will monitor activities to learn what changes and improvement might be made by the new leadership, which takes over in July....
The Roosevelt Island Senior Association held an election last night for new officers. According to its Executive Board:
On June 7, The Roosevelt Island Senior Association (RISA) held an election that ushered out the old and welcomed in a new administration.
But before this election took place, a publically announced nominations meeting took place on May 3 in the Senior Center. The nominees for election began with Wendy Hersh, moving up from her position as Vice President was nominated to become the RISA President, attempting to take on the mantle of Dolores Green, the 14 year President of the organization. Barbara Parker. who has been the Secretary and Outreach Liaison of RISA, was also nominated for the same position.
Bubu Arya, RISA Treasurer, was nominated for Vice President. Arya was pitted against newcomer in Island politics, Donna Chenkin, a former Executive Director for fourteen years of early childhood education at Belmont Park for children of backstretch employees.
Patricia Stovall was in the running for RISA Treasurer with a background in Social Work Administration and a record of keeping financial records while serving as the Treasurer of Unity Center of New York on the Board of Directors, summarizing the financial dealings of the Center.
Sherie Helstien with nearly 18 years on the RIRA Common Council and twelve years as that organization’s Secretary was nominated for the position of RISA Secretary.
In the interim between nominations and the actual run for office, Ms. Hersh made the decision for personal reasons, to withdraw her name from the election, leaving the now uncontested position to Ms. Parker, while both Stovall and Helstien also ran in uncontested races.
The race between Arya and Chenkin was the one to watch. And tonight the numbers didn’t lie: Chenkin received 70 votes to Arya’s 38.
The election ran from 10am to 7pm and at the closing, the last poll workers, Karen and Chris Johnson with an assist from the very meticulous Linda Heimer, counted the votes. There were a total of 108 ballots cast.
RISA thanks all those volunteers who assisted us as poll watchers: Dave Evans, Foreil Sanders, Vicki Feinmel, Lorraine Altman Diane Lindeman, Nita Advani, Judi Arond, and Karen and Chris Johnson. We also thank the independent vote count observers, Nancy Brown and Gloria Narducci for their presence.
Big changes coming to the Roosevelt Island Senior Center.
UPDATE 6/9 - A spokesperson for the NYC DFTA says:
The Department for the Aging always works to provide the highest quality, most robust services to older New Yorkers, including at the Roosevelt Island Senior Center. At the conclusion of the current provider’s contract, a decision was made by DFTA to bring in a new provider to reinvigorate programming in order to best serve this community.
It is imperative that Roosevelt Island continues to have services for all our seniors so they can enjoy their lives with dignity and support they have earned. The Carter Burden Center for the Aging will assume sponsorship of the senior center on the island, without any interruption in services.
I am working closely with the Department of Aging during this transition to ensure that our seniors have enriching and beneficial services, and programs for many years to come.
You are invited for a day of Arts & Crafts with Roosevelt Island Explorers and Roosevelt Island Parents’ Network!
When: Roosevelt Island Day - Saturday, June 11, 2016, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Where: Blackwell Park
We are continuing the “On Roosevelt Island We...” initiative by creating multiple art projects where children use their hands and feet –and imagination– to create colorful paintings on canvas.
Among the things children can paint are:
“On RI We Take First Steps” in which babies and toddlers can print their first steps;
“On RI WE Grow” in which children of all ages can print their hands and feet in age-ascending order to show how "We Grow";
“On RI We Grow Gardens” in which children and adults of any age can use their hands and/or feet to paint vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, etc...
In addition, the RI Explorers will play with the fountain cubes and chalk and, as in previous years, create a yarn web between the trees.
Children are encouraged to participate in all activities - it will be a very lively site!
If you would like to assist children and parents as a volunteer at the event, please let us know – it will be more successful and more fun!
This is a great event for children and the community, and what better date than to have it on Roosevelt Island Day!
Roadwork and Central Utility Plant – At the Central Utility Plant (CUP), louver installation at the transformer vaults will continue through the second week of the period. Power feeds from the CUP to the Bloomberg Center will begin in the second week of the period. Electrical and mechanical work is also ongoing in the CUP. In the North Loop Road, curb installation will continue through the second week of the period. Final utility installation in the southern section of the East Loop Road should be wrapping up by the end of the period. Plumbers and electricians are working on connections from the rainwater harvesting system’s tank to the Bloomberg Center, and the storm lines to and from same will be complete by the end of the period. Landforms are starting to take shape in the Phase 2 area of the site and will continue through the summer. Controlled access to and from points south of the Cornell Tech Site will be switched to the West and South Loop Road in this period.
Geothermal – Pipe installation is ongoing in the well field and trenching for same is underway at the Bloomberg Center.
Co-Location Building – The roof and parapet for the Bridge (CoLo) will be poured in this period. Precast concrete exposed foundation panels will be installed during this period on the south and north side of the building. Glass Façade Panels will start to be installed in the first week of the period. The façade operation will continue through September of this year. Mechanical and electrical work continues inside the Bridge.
Residential Building – Façade work continues at the Residential Building with panels being installed on all sides and will reach the 15th floor by the end of the period. Interior framing will be up to the 18th floor in the second week of this period and plumbing will reach the 23rd floor by the end of the period as well. Elevator work inside the building is ongoing.
Bloomberg Center –Façade installation will continue on the west side of the Bloomberg Center. A second crane will mobilize for the glass curtain wall at the southwest corner of the building. Interior fit out continues for all trades.
Cornell Tech will hold a town hall meeting on Monday, June 13th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Manhattan Park Theatre Club, 8 River Road. Please join us for an update on academic programming, campus construction, campus operations, K-12 education and community programming.
as part of Roosevelt Island Day and is asking for donations of unwanted materials to upcycle and re-purpose. According to RIDN Assistant Director Tamara Troadec:
"Maker" events are popping up across the US and many other countries. Maker events are part of a global trend that views children as highly competent and capable, and honors their imagination and natural ingenuity by offering a selection of exciting materials and the space to work with them, unhurried, whether alone or in collaboration with others.
RIDN is very excited to be sponsoring our own first annual "Maker Tent" at Good Shepherd Plaza, from 12-3, on Saturday, 6/11. Everyone who participates will receive a fun and unique "Maker" memento to take home. Low tables will be made available for smaller children, and drying racks for projects will also be on-hand.
Make/Explore/Invent/Play: What You Can Do at the Maker Tent.
At the Maker Tent, children and grownups will be able to create art or sculpture to take home, tinker with materials, or just play around. There will be traditional art materials (paper, markers, glue, scissors, etc), as well as lots and lots of junk and "loose parts" to inspire ideas and exploration.
Seeking Donations of Unwanted Materials to Upcycle & Repurpose
So far, RIDN has collected lots of great junk: buttons, yarn, old Christmas ornaments, eyeglasses, phone cases, fabric, and corks, to name a few. If you happen to have any junk/collections you wish to get rid of, please consider donating it for this community event.
The Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation (RIJC), led by Rabbi Leana Moritt, will gather on Saturday evening, June 11 to observe Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the moment the entire Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai together to receive the Ten Commandments.
Families are especially welcome at the event. Children who are students in the RIJC Hebrew School will participate in a Consecration ceremony during the children’s service that will mark the completion of a year of study.
The program features a presentation by Roosevelt Island resident and journalist Gianna Pontecorboli, author of Americordo: The Italian Jewish Exiles in America.
Following the enactment of anti-Semitic legislation in Italy in October 1938, Italian Jews lost their citizenship and any position in the government or professions which many previously held.
In subsequent months, about 2,000 Italian Jews, including many architects, musicians, artists, journalists, designers, mathematicians and three future Nobel Prize winners, fled Italy, seeking refuge in the United States and other lands.
Americordo is a collective portrait of ordinary and extraordinary people -- intellectuals, a seamstress, a door-to-door salesman and others -- making their way in a new land and resourcefully supporting each other.
Author Pontecorboli, niece of one such refugee, said the reason she interviewed the exiles and wrote the book is “I was fascinated by-the fact that they were perfectly integrated with Americans, Jews, and Italians, while at the same time remaining different. And I was impressed by the success that many of them had had, in spite of the difficulties they encountered.”
The Shavuot celebration schedule is:
5:30 pm Family Pot Luck Dinner
6:15 pm Children's Services and Hebrew School Consecration
7:00 pm Ice Cream & Cheesecake Social for Everyone !!
7:45 pm Gianna Pontecorboli, Scholar in Residence
For location and more information, please contact Nina Lublin, RIJC president at 212-688-0003. Donations for this and other ongoing events at the RIJC can be made online using PayPal at RIJC.org and are both appreciated and encouraged.
Traveler Matt Harding is dancing his way around the world. On Saturday June 4, Matt will be dancing in New York City at Roosevelt Island's FDR Four Freedoms Park
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
