Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Susan Rosenthal reported to the March 23 RIOC Board of Directors meeting on current projects including:
Seawall railings replacement - start construction in June,
Sportspark announcement regarding opening hopefully by Monday or Tuesday,
Blackwell House renovation Request For Proposal (RFP) posted,
Tram Platforms renovation (both Manhattan and Roosevelt Island stations)
Rat problems at Roosevelt Island Youth Center,
Youth Center Building Renovation,
Youth Center Operator RFP being revised with assistance of NY State Office of Children & Family Services,
Renwick Ruins Scaffolding To Repair Falling Cornice and
Final Report coming soon on status of Renwick Ruins condition commissioned by FDR Park (estimated cost of stabilizing Ruins is $20 Million)
Here's Ms. Rosenthal's report to the RIOC Board (Part 1)
Part 2:
Tram Elevator RFP - creating glossy brochures and exploring personal contacts seeking contractors,
Roosevelt Island Public Space Water - It's safe,
New BBQ's, picnic tables and benches, and water fountains,
Motorgate Gallery Art Gallery Opening and
Renwick Ruins Stabilization and future plans for re-purposing.
According to the MTA, there will be Roosevelt Island F Train service
to and from Manhattan this weekend.
That's 14 weekends in a row of Roosevelt Island F train service to and from Mahattan. The last Roosevelt Island weekend F train service disruption was December 16-19, 2016.
You are cordially invited to attend the 2017 Motorgate Gallery Opening. The event will take place at the Motorgate Garage Atrium (688 Main St.) on Wed., March 29th from 6-7:30 PM. Come and celebrate the addition of new murals painted at the 2016 Fall for Arts Festival to the Gallery's collection!
The Gallery opening is sponsored and curated by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association (RIVAA). The Jazz Salonists will provide live entertainment. Drinks and light refreshments will be available. For more information visit https://rioc.ny.gov/pdf/MGateGallery17.pdf
... RIOC Community Relations Specialist Erica Spencer-El together with Gallery RIVAA's Tad Sudol welcomed visitors to the Motorgate Gallery and described how the Motorgate Gallery began. Mr Sudol said:
I think this is the only garage in entire New York who has displays of such big art work...
... It reminds me a little bit of National Gallery in Washington...
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Last May, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the Roosevelt Island
FDR Four Freedoms Park,
designed by architect Louis Kahn, was inaccessible to the disabled community and
according to the
NY Times:
... the city is withholding a permanent certificate of occupancy and hundreds
of thousands of dollars in financing until the matter is resolved....
De Blasio says Louis Kahn's "ha-ha" renders the FDR memorial — of all places
— inaccessible to the disabled.
https://t.co/JCWZ9YH1I5
... to rectify the systemic, discriminatory exclusion of persons with mobility
disabilities from full and equal access to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four
Freedoms Park (“FDR Memorial”), New York City’s recently built monument
commemorating our 32nd President....
In 2012, New York City welcomed the opening of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four
Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. Yet FDR, the President it commemorates who
used a wheelchair for mobility, would have struggled to take in its dramatic
beauty, as the monument begins and ends with steps.
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit legal center, filed a class
action lawsuit today in federal court on behalf of individuals with mobility
disabilities alleging that the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation and the Four Freedoms Park Conservancy are blatantly
violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Plaintiffs, including the
Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled (BCID) and several New
York City residents who use wheelchairs, allege they are unable to access the
Memorial in violation of long established law.
Accessibility barriers pervade the FDR Memorial in its entirety, including a
large flight of stairs leading up to the entrance of the Monument. While paths
exist around the base of the memorial, they circumvent the bulk of the
monument and are comprised of uneven stones that make travel difficult for
manual or power chair users. After traveling an unreasonably long distance
down a side route, a chair user must begin an arduous back-tracking ascent up
a path made of gravel to appreciate the vistas in the same way a
non-wheelchair user can do.
At the opposite end of the FDR Memorial is a sunken terrace that provides an
uninterrupted view of the East River, known in architecture as a ha-ha wall.
Yet steps block wheelchair users from reaching that point. Plaintiffs also
cite an inaccessible gift shop and non-ADA compliant restrooms.
Plaintiff Edith Prentiss, who uses a wheelchair due to her mobility
disability, has visited the Memorial many times but has never been able to
explore the terrace. “I’ve heard that those who run the park say that we can
just enjoy the view afforded by the sunken terrace from elsewhere,” she said.
“I find that offensive in the ‘back of the bus’ sort of way. I feel like
they’ve prioritized their own aesthetics over our right to visit the Memorial,
and are now waving away our concerns by saying: ‘What you got is good enough
anyway.’ It’s not.”
Phil Beder, also a Plaintiff who uses a wheelchair says, “I am an FDR buff.
He’s my hero. It’s patently ironic that a Memorial built in honor of him is
rife with barriers for wheelchair users. Frankly, it makes me both mad and
sad.”
“In a park dedicated to freedom, the choice to deny freedom of access to
people with disabilities is just plain wrong,” said Joseph G. Rappaport,
BCID’s Executive Director. “Denying the right of people with disabilities from
enjoying the park fully isn’t in keeping with FDR’s life and legacy.”
“The Memorial was built very recently, decades after the ADA, and New York
State should know better. We can’t figure out what they were thinking, but to
leave it as is would give unfettered license to continue building important
public spaces with no regard for the civil rights of persons with
disabilities,” said Michelle Caiola, Litigation Director at DRA.
The suit seeks injunctive relief towards remedying all elements of
inaccessibility allowing visitors with mobility impairments to visit the
Memorial on equal terms with everyone else. A copy of the Complaint is
available below.
According to DRA attorney Jelena Kolic, attempts to communicate with the Four
Freedoms Park Conservancy to discuss disabled persons accessibility at the FDR
Park were not returned resulting in the lawsuit.
We have not had the opportunity to fully review the class action suit. Four
Freedoms Park is – and always has been – committed to accessibility for people
with disabilities. We take accessibility issues very seriously and strive to
meet the needs of all of our visitors.
FDR Four Freedoms Park takes accessibility issues very seriously, and we
welcome dialogue about how we can meet the needs of the many visitors we
receive each year.
... Sally Minard, the president and chief executive of the conservancy, said
the use of ramps had been thoroughly explored. But it would present its own
drawbacks.
Railings would have to be installed along the ramps and behind benches that
are now sheer slabs of Mount Airy granite, set off against monumental blocks
of the same whitish-gray stone. This would compromise the Kahn design, which
the conservancy tried to follow as faithfully as possible.
“The consequences of doing it — for everyone’s experience — seemed to outweigh
the value,” Ms. Minard said. “The decision was not seen as a problem because
we believed then, as we do now, that the park more than meets the requirements
for accessibility for those with a disability, and that the memorial as a
whole is A.D.A. compliant.”...
For many years, we told the FDR park designers. In those days the architect
from Mitchell-Gurgula, Ms. Minard and Mr. Vanden Heuvel ignored the community
concern over disabled access.
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors will meet tomorrow evening, March 23 at the Cultural Center (548 Main Street).
Image Of RIOC Board Of Directors Meeting
Prior to the start of the RIOC Board meeting, there will be a public comment period. Sign up here to speak at the meeting.
Among the items on the Agenda are several Roosevelt Island infrastructure projects. Below is the Agenda:
AMENDED AGENDA
MARCH 23, 2017 MEETING OF
THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THE CULTURAL CENTER THEATER, 548 MAIN STREET,
ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NEW YORK
5:30 P.M.[1]
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. Approval of Minutes
1. February 16, 2017 Board Meeting (Board Action Required)
IV. Old Business
V. New Business
1. Authorization to Amend the Contract with Nelson & Pope Engineers & Surveyors for Design and Construction Services in Connection with Permanent Heating System for Sportspark (Board Action Required)
2. Authorization to Amend the Contract with Gandhi Engineering, Inc. for the Engineering Design Services in Connection with the Roosevelt Island Helix Ramp Rehabilitation Project (Board Action Required)
3. Authorization to Enter into Contract with Specialty Construction Systems Inc. for Renovations of the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway Station Platforms (Board Action Required)
4. Authorization to Enter into Contract with SEIU, Local 32BJ (Board Action Required)
5. Authorization to Amend the Contract with Devo and Associates, LLC for the Purchase, Installation and Maintenance of Multi-Space Parking Pay Stations (Board Action Required)
6. Ratification of Amendment of Contract with Leitner-Poma of America O&M, Inc. for Overhauls To Aerial Tramway Carriage and Brakes (Board Action Required)
7. President’s Report
8. Committee Reports
a. Audit Committee
b. Governance Committee
c. Operations Advisory Committee
d. Real Estate Development Advisory Committee
9. Public Safety Report
VI. Adjournment
[1] The RIOC Board Meeting will commence following a public comment period. The public comment period is not part of the meeting.
... In conducting the anticipated overhauls of the Tram’s Carriage and Brakes, Leitner-Poma determined that additional work was needed to ensure the safe operation of the Tram. Specifically, the Tram’ Grips were tested and overhauled; the Tram’s Hangers were serviced; and the Tram’s Cabin suspension rods were inspected, tested, and retensioned (“Additional Work”).
The total cost of replacing the Tram’s Cabin floors; the overhauls of the Tram’s Carriage and Brakes; and the Additional Work is $500,814.09.
As the aforementioned work was necessary to maintain the safe and efficient operation of the Tram, we recommend the ratification of the expenditure in the amount of $500,814.09.
The Roosevelt Island Helix Ramps repairs project was initiated as part of the 2014 Capital Projects Budget. The work was designed by Gandhi Consulting Engineers and Architects. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in bidding the project in 2014. Over the next two years, the Helix continued to deteriorate. The original contract did not include the flat plaza area in between the ramp, bridge and garage exit. On February 17, 2017 pieces of the spalled concrete roadway underside fell on to the East Promenade walkway. Gandhi was called in to investigate the damage but they informed us that the most damaged area was not included in their original scope of work. The existing condition of the Helix ramp and plaza area poses a risk to safety of the public. Additional investigations need to be performed to assess the condition of the entire ramp including the flat plaza area and underside and determine how to repair it. This additional scope of work should then be added to the drawings and sent out to bid as soon as possible....
The Roosevelt Island Tram Station Platform Repairs project consists of two locations, one on Roosevelt Island located at 300 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, NY, 10044 and one located on the Manhattan side at 254 E 60th Street, New York, NY, 10022. The tramway station on the Manhattan Side is a two story structure with platforms at the upper level. The tramway station on the Roosevelt Island side is a single story structure with a partial basement. The platforms on both stations are cracked, deteriorating and in need of repair and replacement. As part of the ongoing Tram Modernization Project, RIOC recommends demolishing the existing platforms and waterproofing system and replacing them with new topping slabs and waterproofing membranes. The scope of work also includes repairing cracked and spalled concrete at both platforms....
Roosevelt Island Women Of Distinction Honorees With Assembly Member Seawright
at a ceremony held last Thursday, March 16.
According to this press release from Assembly Member Seawright:
On the evening of Thursday, March 16 2017, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright’s Third Annual Women of Distinction Awards to commemorate Women’s History Month was held at the Regina Peruggi Room at Marymount Manhattan College.
Seawright honored twenty-one women who have demonstrated hard work, commitment, and dedication to making our community a better place. Award recipients included Michele Birnbaum, Eva Bosbach, Judy Buck, Mary Coleman, Maureen Fairlie, Linda Heimer, Sherie Helstien, Wendy L. Hersh, Jean Kim, Dara Lamb, Jacqueline Ludorf, Valerie S. Mason, Dr. Marilyn Mehr, Sonia Ossorio, Barbara Parker, Liz Patrick, Joyce Short, Louella Streitz, Lynne Strong-Shinozaki, Dr. Betty Walker, and Dr. Elaine M. Walsh.
This year holds monumental significance as the 100 year anniversary of the Suffrage Movement, which Seawright spoke to as a turning point in American History. “We have to stop thinking of history as a closed book, a story with an end, because as women, our story is not nearly over. There are exciting new chapters still to be written,” Seawright said.
Hunter College students opened the ceremony: Nailya Khalizova played a piece from “Chopin’s Prelude,” and Sara Tabio read “Spanglish in America,” her original response to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me.” Following the performances, Marymount Manhattan College President Dr. Kerry Walk welcomed the audience.
In closing Seawright said, “Celebrating Women’s History Month is not just about honoring women who came before us, it is about reminding ourselves of the heroines who inspired us by using their courage, their spirit, and their accomplishments as motivation to keep fighting for our rights. Congratulations, Women of Distinction, you are an inspiration to our community, our city, and our great State of New York!”
Here's Ms Seawright's remarks celebrating Women's History Month with her 3rd Annual Women of Distinction Awards
and the presentation of awards.
The Roosevelt Island Women Of Distinction are:
Eva Bosbach
Judy Buck
Image From Christina Delfico
Mary Coleman
Image From Christina Delfico
Linda Heimer
Image From Christina Delfico
Sherie Helstien
Image From Christina Delfico
Wendy Hersh
Image From Christina Delfico
Barbara Parker
Image From Christina Delfico
Lynn Strong-Shinozaki
Image From Christina Delfico
Joyce Short
Image From Christina Delfico
and Louella Streitz
Image From Christina Delfico
Biographies of the Women of Distinction honorees are included in booklet below.
Last year the Roosevelt Island Center of Community Development (RICCD) had a fantastic baseball season in partnership with the Babe Ruth Little League with over 100 island kids, 5 to 13 years of age. Watch parents and children express their excitement last season:
This year promises to be even better. RICCD coaches and coordinators are ready to go for another great season of co-ed baseball on Roosevelt. Cost is 55 dollars, but full scholarships are readily available. Cost will not hinder children from joining our league.
Statement from de Blasio on his new MTA board pick, Carl Weisbrod, fmr chair of NYC Planning Commission & Dir. of the Dept. of City Planning pic.twitter.com/hxbq0Bu2bH
More on the nomination of Mr. Weisbrod to the MTA Board, which requires appointment by Governor Cuomo and approval by the NY State Senate, from AM New York and New York Daily News.
Wildlife Freedom Foundation President Rossana Ceruzzi shares photos and reports on injured, but recovering, Tucker the Mute Swan enjoying first day of Spring visiting Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park with a friend. According to Ms. Ceruzzi:
What a great welcome to Spring!!
A couple of juvenile Mute Swans visiting Roosevelt Island on the first day of Spring.
Last October, Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Director David Kraut began a process of organizing a Roosevelt Island Veterans Association....
A daytime meeting for Veterans was held January 12 and RIOC is continuing its outreach to Roosevelt Island veterans with a follow up evening meeting.
If you are an island veteran, stop by the Senior Center Tuesday, from 6 PM - 8 PM!. We hope to see you there! https://t.co/z85mdRg68x
Join Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and the Carter Burden Senior Center on Tuesday, March 21st from 6 PM - 8 PM at the Senior Center, located on 546 Main Street for Roosevelt Island Veterans' Appreciation. Stop by for games, refreshments, and to hear a guest speaker from the New York State Division of Veterans Affairs discuss available resources for veterans. We hope to see you there!
RIOC President Susan Rosenthal reported during December 8 Board meeting that there were at least 300 veterans living
According to Wikipedia, during Breslin's 1969 campaign for NYC Council President, he advocated for NYC becoming the 51st State, legalizing casino gambling, possibly located on Roosevelt Island:
... a casino would be built on either Randall's Island, Roosevelt Island, or Coney Island, with tax revenues going directly to the City-State....
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.
