TRACK MAINTENANCE 11:45 PM Fri, Dec 7 to 5 AM Mon, Dec 10 to 5 AM Mon Jamaica-bound F trains are rerouted via the E after 47-50 Sts in Manhattan to Roosevelt Av in Queens.
No Jamaica-bound service at Lexington Av/63 St, Roosevelt Island and 21 St-Queensbridge.
... To Roosevelt Island and 21 St-Queensbridge, take the F to Roosevelt Av and transfer to a Brooklyn-bound F.
From these stations, take a Brooklyn-bound F to 47-50 Sts and transfer to a Jamaica-bound F.
Blunt Ensemble presents a stripped-down 6 woman adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play. Director Rachel Matusewicz uses her all-female cast to explore the dynamics of power in the patriarchal society of Richard's England, in a play full of political machination, backstabbing and secret treasons. Where one man's ruthless ambition will bring himself and his country to the brink of destruction.
DASH is the acronym for the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association Support for the Homebound, Disabled and Elderly. Last evening, during the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council Public Session, DASH Director Louella Streitz asked the Roosevelt Island community to help insure that neighbors with arthritis will be able to eat by donating an electric can opener.
According to Ms. Streitz:
DASH (Disabled Association Support for the Homebound, Disabled and Elderly) is reaching out to ask if anyone would kindly adopt a senior for the Holidays and gift the 7 or so needy seniors, an electric can opener. The ones I am thinking of have acute arthritis and many of them eat quite some canned food.
DASH operates on a $0 budget based with pure volunteerism and would appreciate any donations of electric can openers.
I, Louella Streitz am the Director and will handle all distribution. I will handle all distributon and can be reached at firstdash@gmail.com.
Roosevelt Island artist Tony Vita illustrates the 17 year history of Roosevelt Island's Gallery RIVAA with flyers and scenes from past art exhibits, dance performances, music concerts, poetry readings as well as upcoming plans for the future of Gallery RIVAA and Roosevelt Island as an "Island Of Art".
Watch the video and message at end asking your help to continue the journey by contributing what you can.
During the June 6, 2018 unveiling ceremony of Roosevelt Island Plinth sculpture at Good Shepherd Plaza, RIOC President Susan Rosenthal announced plans for a Roosevelt Island Art Trail and thanked our local Gallery RIVAA for its contribution to the Roosevelt Island art scene.
Also, Gallery RIVAA's Tad Sudol made this October 2015 presentation of his idea for an Island Of Art on Roosevelt Island to the RIOC Board Of Directors.
On Sunday, December 16, check out the Pink Tage Creative Market at Manhattan Park Theatre Club (8 River Road). According to the event organizer Carla Ramirez:
The intention of making this Creative Bazaar, is to help entrepreneurs who do their jobs by hand.
They are small entrepreneurs most from my native country Venezuela, I want their talent to be known by other cultures.
Manhattan Park, in conjunction with other residents, have given me all their support to make this event happen. To give the residents of Roosevelt Island a family day to do activities for both adults and children including free Zumba Class, Sports Activities, and many activities for children.
They can make Christmas purchases too. We will have jewelry booth, handmade handbags, T-shirts, makeup, photography, accessories for dogs, desserts, arts and crafts, handmade soaps, women's clothing, sportswear, and much more. We will have food stalls and hot chocolate.
So we are waiting for you to share a family day with us.
Each Saturday and Sunday until December 23, the Roosevelt Island Christmas Tree Emporium is available at the Motorgate Rotunda next to Gristedes and offers free delivery.
Haven’t taken your Holiday photos yet? Get them taken by a professional on Roosevelt Island at a pop-up photo studio. Saturday December 8th, located at 504 Main Street (2nd Floor), appointments available from 9am - 6pm.
about the history of our home here on Roosevelt Island. You can tell by the book's title that the story is of a Roosevelt Island before luxury condos, Cornell Tech and tourists coming to visit.
I'll be giving a talk about my book Damnation Island at the NY Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island tomorrow, December 6, at 6:30 p.m. The F train goes to Roosevelt Island!
Ms Horn's talk about Damnation Island is presented by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) and is the second program of its free Fall Lecture series. According to the RIHS:
In the 19th century, New York confined the poor, the insane, the criminal and the sick to Blackwell’s Island. Here, nestled between the teeming shores of Manhattan and the rural farms of Queens, these unfortunates were warehoused in deplorable conditions, squalor and neglect.
Author Stacy Horn will describe the notorious history of Damnation Island at a lecture presented by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
The event is FREE and open to the public. It is the second in the Society’s annual series of fall lectures, which is supported by funds provided by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Public Purpose Fund and New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, with funding from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
DIRECTIONS: Take the Tram at 59 th Street and Second Avenue or the F train to Roosevelt Island. Take the red bus (no charge) or walk eight minutes north to 524 Main Street.
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society promotes awareness of the Island’s unique story and pursues preservation of its landmarks and artifacts.
Listen to this June 5, 2018 NY Public Library podcast interview with Ms. Horn discussing the dark history of Blackwell's, then Welfare and now Roosevelt Island.
This week's episode of The NYPL Podcast features @StacyHorn discussing her book, Damnation Island, which looks into the dark past of Blackwell's—now known as Roosevelt Island. Horn also walks us through the NYPL archives used to write this chilling story. https://t.co/c8ckY2R1aB
The story begins with a Roosevelt Island resident telling Ms. Fernandez about a neighbor banging on her door and that something seems very wrong. The resident added that she had only seen her neighbor a couple of times in 10 years.
Ms Fernandez, a Senior Center Case Worker and Public Safety Officer went to the neighbor's apartment to see if any help was needed and wanted.
Listen to Ms Fernandez explain what happened next.
Also, discussed at the General Meeting was the RIRA Public Purpose Funds recommendation for the Senior Center of $3,250 which is significantly less than the recommendations for other Roosevelt Island non profit organizations. Ms Fernandez asked the Senior Center members to support efforts to obtain a larger Public Purpose Funds grant for additional Senior Programs.
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council will hold it's monthly meeting tomorrow evening, December 5 at 8:00 PM in the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street).
Image Of November 2018 RIRA Common Council Meeting
The RIRA Common Council meets the first Wednesday of the month (except when not in session for July & August).
As always, prior to the start of each monthly meeting there is a Public Session in which residents can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern. All members of the Roosevelt Island community are invited to attend.
Last month's November RIRA meeting was the final session for the 2016-18 Common Council and first session for the 2018-20 Common Council. Meet the new RIRA Common Council
Below is the Draft Agenda for December 5 RIRA meeting.
Preamble
We the residents of Roosevelt Island, come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse interests and circumstances. We all want to live together in harmony based on mutual respect and the voluntary sharing of certain responsibilities for our common good. We form this community association to enable us to define, maintain and promote our common objectives in a democratic manner.
Purpose
To represent the interests of its members to all governmental, quasi-governmental and private institutions that develop policy affecting Roosevelt Island and its residents: that supervise or manage our housing and that supervise or manage other Island operations;
To ensure that the health, safety and welfare of its members and the QUALITY of life in our community are maintained and improved.
Date: Wednesday, December 5th, 2018
Time & Place: 8:00pm, Good Shepherd 543 Main St Roosevelt Island (lower level)
1. Public Session (please sign-in to be placed on the Public Session Speaking List)
2. Roll Call of Common Council Members
3. Adoption of Agenda
4. President’s Call for Treasure
5. President’s Report
6. Old Business
a. Approval of November 7th Report Common Council 2016-2018
b. Approval of November 7th Report Common Council 2018-2020
c. Treasure Pro Tempore November Report
d. Nominations Committee Report
e. Island Services Committee Report
f. Youth and Education Committee Report
a. Adoption of Consent Agenda
• Organization Expenses for 2018-2020
1. Mail Box expense
2. Paypal Fees
3. Meeting Agenda Packets
4. Tax Filing Costs
5. DOE Permit for Voting space at PS/IS 217 2020
7. President’s Call for Standing Committee Chairs
a. Communications Committee
b. Governmental Relations Committee
c. Housing Committee
d. Island Services Committee
e. Legal Action Committee
f. Planning Committee
g. Public Safety Committee
h. Social, Cultural and Educational Services Committee
8. New Business
At last month's November RIRA meeting, Frank Farance and the 2016-2018 Common Council thanked former President Jeff Escobar for his 5 years of service to the Roosevelt Island community. At the suggestion of his daughter, Mr Escobar ended his term with a mic drop saying:
Escobar out.
and thanked the 2016-18 Common Council members for their service.
The 3rd in a 4 Part series of Roosevelt Island community conversations with Cornell Tech Faculty members takes place Wednesday, December 6 with Professor Mor Naaman.
Mor's lab designs, builds, and studies social systems, with a focus on technology, media and democracy - issues that have never been more relevant to our society than they are today. Mor will break it all down for us in what promises to be an enlightening and thought-provoking presentation.
Date and Time
Thu, December 6, 2018, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM EST
Location
Tata Innovation Center, 11 East Loop Road, New York, NY 10044
Mor Naaman is an associate professor of Information Science at the Jacobs Technion- Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. He is the founder of the Connective Media hub, co-directs the Oath- supported Connected Experiences Lab, and leads the Social Technologies research group.
Associate Professor @informor's innovative course "Tech, Media & Democracy" is a collaboration between six universities in New York City. https://t.co/I6REfh8DVf
Click here to register for the Thursday, December 6, Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Faculty Community Conversation with Professor Mor Naaman.
The first Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Faculty conversation was with Professor Serge
Belongie on Computer Vision, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality. Watch the video here.
The second Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Faculty conversation was with Professor Nicolai Dell on Creating Tech For Underserved Communities. Watch the video here.
Tuesday, Dec 04th Join us for a very important General Meeting with Bill Dionne at 2:00 p.m. regarding fundings for the programs at the senior center. We will also be sharing upcoming events and much more. Light refreshments will be service.
... From its small beginnings with one person working in the Council office, the Carter Burden Network has grown into an agency with 12 programs in 7 locations and more than 80 employees. Now we serve approximately 5,000 seniors every year across the borough of Manhattan, with a significant expansion into East Harlem and on Roosevelt Island in the past few years....
As previously reported, the recent Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Public Purpose Funds recommendations to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) for the Carter Burden Roosevelt Island Senior Center was significantly less than other Roosevelt Island non profits:
... The RIRA recommendations ranged from $9,750 to $29,500 for 9 of the 10 Roosevelt Island non profit organizations. Left far behind was the Carter Burden Roosevelt Island Senior Center who received a recommendation for much less - $3,250.
The final decision on distribution of Public Purpose Funds is made by RIOC....
The Roosevelt Island Daily reported that some saw the RIRA Public Purpose recommendation as a slap in the face of Seniors:
Protest hit my inbox soon after the news was out. "Did you see this?" asked one resident. "Something is really wrong. This has to be adjusted." Easier said than done, but lets see if RIOC blows another one, letting the insular Common Council get away with a feelingless slap in the face to seniors....
... The Organization uses space at the Leonard Covello Senior Center, Lehman Village Senior Houses, and Roosevelt Island Center without charge. The estimated fair value of $1,761,270 has been recorded as an in-kind contribution and is reflected on the statement of functional expenses as contributed space....
Not sure if any other Roosevelt Island Public Purpose Funds applicant receives free rent space from RIOC.
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.
