This summer Cornell Tech worked on a new collaboration with the New York
Choreographic Institute, in which dancers from New York City Ballet performed
site-specific ballet pieces all over campus, including along the majestic
Manhattan skyline views on the top floors of several of academic buildings....
In keeping with its more than two decade-long history of fostering and celebrating the work of international dancemakers, the New York Choreographic Institute held a partially-virtual summer session this past May. Though this marks the third session to be capped by the production of dance films, it was a “first” in many ways: The choreographers, Sophie Laplane and Alysa Pires, quarantined in Glasgow, Scotland, and Toronto, Canada, respectively, collaborated over Zoom with NYCB dancers who were finally able to gather in a shared studio space; and the films were produced on the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, NY, through a unique alliance with Digital Life Initiative Research Fellow Michael Byrne.
The resulting films represent the Institute’s ongoing commitment to the creation of new works as well as to the support of new ideas and new creative partnerships at the forefront of contemporary choreography....
Watch NYC Ballet performing at Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech campus.
Roosevelt Island resident Kaja Mead out for an evening stroll last night spotted Rocky Raccoon admiring the Fall For Arts Festival Murals on the Rivercross Lawn last night and shares this video.
There have been several raccoon spottings on Roosevelt Island recently. Don't know if they all are of the same raccoon or others.
It's a kit (a baby raccoon) and very likely he ventured outside of its den and roamed away from his mom... Raccoons walk on rocks in the river at night so the baby will return there when he'll feel safe. Common sense tip: Do not try to chase or shoo the raccoon away
— Wildlife Freedom Foundation (@wffny) June 2, 2021
Roosevelt Island does have our share of NYC wildlife. Fortunately, we
don't have to worry about bears roaming our parks and streets.
A young woman saved her dogs from a bear by pushing it off a ledge with her bare hands. The viral video was posted by the woman's cousin Brenda on TikTok with the caption, ‘My cousin Hailey yeeted a bear off her fence today and saved her dogs. How was your Memorial Day?!’ pic.twitter.com/xNldXvoc7P
10/18/21 – 0750
– 686 Main St – Homeless Removal – PSD responded – Condition corrected. 10/18/21 – 2120
– 688 Main St - Homeless Removal – PSD/NYPD/EMS responded – Aided transported
to the hospital
During the October 19 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Public
Safety Committee meeting, Roosevelt Island PSD Deputy Chief Anthony Amoroso
addressed the issue of homeless people on Roosevelt Island. According to
Deputy Chief Amoroso, PSD officers:
...are always, constantly offering them homeless services, medical services.
It's their right to deny it. ... We are constantly going to them and asking
them if we can bring them to a shelter or give them medical attention. Some do
accept and some don't. Compared to everywhere else, our homeless situation is
very small. We're trying to accommodate those people the best we can.
Of Roosevelt Island public bathrooms for homeless people to wash up, Deputy
Chief Amoroso said:
... we do have 2 bathrooms, one on each end....
... It's an unfortunate situation to be homeless and we don't
want to treat them like criminals.
What I personally have noticed ... is that we are having a growing
population of homeless people on the Island.
I've heard reports about a couple of ladies who live in our subway station.
I've heard reports about some gentlemen that live around the Island and one
of the reasons why I wanted to bring this up as a discussion point was I
love the fact that Roosevelt Island is definitely a community of what I call
warm-hearted and empathetic people, but unfortunately I don't know that
feeding, clothing and washing clothes and things like that are necessarily
the best solution for the people who are living in the community who are
homeless...
... once it gets out that this is a really safe place for homeless
people, I'm concerned that the issue will grow and that we will start
finding more and more people who are homeless here...
RIOC CFO John O'Reilly participated in the CB 8 Roosevelt Island committee meeting and suggested:
...
Coler
is only half full. They have the ability to handle 800 residents. There may be
an option that we can offer Coler as a place of assistance to these people.
It's a hospital. They have health care there... I know they have a
different structure but if Coler would open up a couple of spaces or a wing,
we may be able to use that facility as an option too.
Ms Shinozaki replied:
I think that's a great idea...
...So many people who are homeless have mental health issues and I
know that they have some really strong programs in Coler. ...
Coler Hospital has one of the strongest mental health programs of any
rehabilitation facility so that may be something that we can start some some
discussions on in terms of keeping these people who have come to our
community safe in our community but be in a safer environment and more
supportive environment...
In February 2020,
a long time member of the Roosevelt Island community puts forward this idea
for discussion about the issue of homeless people on Roosevelt Island.
... Recently I have been thinking about the growing transient and indigent
population on the Roosevelt Island, both from the perspective of humane relief
and from the perspective of the new issues imposed on the community --
community outreach and community response. I was entering the subway when the
odor was overwhelming. I covered my nose and was reprimanded by a young woman
for a lack of compassion. The cause of the odor this particular day was
someone, a gentleman, I have often helped. I understand both concerns: the
social justice concern, that every human is entitled to adequate shelter, and
the pragmatic concern, that people fear the health/hygiene issues and related
costs.
In response, I have tried to find a middle path that might address both the
humanitarian concerns and the added cost imposed on a community, when there is
a growing homeless population (I will refer to the latter in economic terms,
as externalities, as such costs are shifted to the public budget, which is
already stretched thin).
Recently a suggestion was floated that unused space
in the hospital at the north end of the Island could be repurposed for beds.
The community responded that this could create greater crime and
health/hygiene issues. Too often public shelter facilities do not adequately
address the longer term impact on the surrounding community. There are
meaningful rights on both sides, and both need to be discussed and
respected.
However, this proposal offers the opportunity to craft a modest solution: the
unused hospital space could be repurposed to provide two showers, lavs,
laundry and lockers. The facility could be open initially two days a week
8:00am to 8:00pm, and supervised with two personnel (a cleaning employee and a
manager). Public Safety could be present to prevent potential victimization of
the guests. Individually packaged toiletries could conceivably be solicited as
"charitables" from corporate manufacturers. Towels would have to be worked out
(as these present a hygiene issue).
Los Angeles has pioneered a successful
shower on wheels program through the work of private individuals. This could
offer a model for humane relief throughout the city.
... What should I do if I see an individual or a group of individuals that
appear to be street homeless?
For the most immediate response, New Yorkers who see individuals they
believe to be homeless and in need should contact 3-1-1 via phone or mobile
app and request outreach assistance. You should call 911 if the individual
appears to pose an immediate risk to themselves or others or there is
criminal activity.
What happens when I call 311 to report a homeless New Yorker in need of
assistance?
Individual calls 311 and a Service Request (SR) is created
SR is evaluated and assigned to a service provider or a partner Agency,
like NYPD, as needed
If assigned to a service provider, outreach team is dispatched within an
hour of receiving the request
Service provider outreach teams attempt to locate that individual and if
found directly engage the individual, assess for safety and encourage them
to accept services and transition off the streets.
How do outreach teams engage a homeless New Yorker in need of assistance?
Experienced outreach teams from not-for-profit service providers canvass the
five boroughs 24/7/365 as part of our citywide effort to identify and engage
individuals who may be homeless, encourage them to accept services, and
ultimately help them transition off the streets. Additionally, DHS performs
joint outreach operations with community stakeholders and Agency partners,
including the NYPD, the Parks Department, the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, and the Department of Transportation to utilize each Agency's
expertise, engage more New Yorkers, and offer more supports. Outreach teams
have helped approximately 2,000 homeless New Yorkers off the streets citywide,
thanks to new investments and a doubling of the size of those teams.
... There is alot of concern about the way the RIOC Board is appointed by
the Governor...
... do you think there is an opportunity for better Roosevelt Island
representation on RIOC now that it is no longer Governor Cuomo but Governor
Hochul?...
Senator Serrano replied:
... I've been trying to find ways to get to get more
representation from Island residents on that board.
I even carry the bill that the the head of RIOC should be an Island
resident....
... As elected officials, we live in our districts and we can get to see
what is going on and know what's important so I do believe that we have a
great opportunity to fix a lot of these issues. We have no shortage of
amazing opinions from Island residents as to how we can move forward and
bring better democracy to the island.
... it's my intention to have some really important and meaningful
conversations with the Governor to make sure that she understands that we
need to really focus on Roosevelt Island.
It shouldn't be an afterthought...
Roosevelt Island democratic representation suffered another setback yesterday
when 1 of two Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Directors who are no longer Roosevelt Island residents,
David Kapell,
chose to remain on the Board with the apparent approval, or indifference, of
Governor Hochul and
RIOC.
RIOC announced yesterday:
Jeffrey Escobar is tendering his resignation from the Board of Directors of
the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation due to his change in residency.
Confirmed by the Senate on June 20, 2019, Mr. Escobar held one of five
public member board seats designated for Roosevelt Island residents. RIOC
truly appreciates Mr. Escobar’s service and contributions to the RIOC Board
of Directors and the Roosevelt Island community. His presence and input will
be greatly missed.
David Kapell remains a duly appointed member of the Board of Directors of
the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. Confirmed by the Senate on June
20, 2019, Mr. Kapell holds one of the two public member board seats that do
not carry a residency requirement. RIOC’s board and the community as a whole
benefit from Mr. Kapell’s dedication to Roosevelt Island and we thank him
for his continued service.
Both Mr Kapell and Mr Escobar moved from Roosevelt Island about a year ago yet
remained on the RIOC Board until Mr Escobar's resignation yesterday.
... I submitted a written question to the
September 29 RIOC Board of Directors
meeting Public Session held before the start of the meeting asking:
How many members of the RIOC Board of Directors, excluding NY State
Officials, are required by statute to be residents of Roosevelt Island?
Are any of the RIOC Board Directors, excluding the NY State Officials, not
residents of Roosevelt Island and if so, why are they members of the RIOC
Board?
Do all members of the RIOC Board of Directors, excluding the NY State
Officials, list Roosevelt Island as their primary residence on personal
tax forms? If no, who does not?...
RIOC General Counsel replied to my question during the Public Session:
I can briefly answer that question.
We have two Board Members that currently do not reside on Roosevelt
Island.
I will say that Mr Kappel proactively on his own, when he determined that he
was no longer going to reside on the Island, reached out to the Appointments
Office to inquire as to whether his service would terminate or be in
jeopardy because of that decision.
After consultation with the Appointments Department, he was told that based
on the law as it reads, he is not in violation of any rule or regulation or
law and his appointment may continue until such time of his replacement.
Mr. Escobar who also recently moved off the Island has also begun that same
process so based on those findings the RIOC Board Members are permitted to
serve until such time that they are replaced.
As the law reads, continued residency is silent to that. So, they were both
appointed as residents when they became members of the Board and as far as
Appointments is concerned, their continued services is all right
Yesterday, I asked Ms Robinson and RIOC Public Information Officer Amy
Smith:
RIOC claims that Mr Kappel holds 1 of two public Board seats that does not
require Roosevelt Island residency.
Please show where in Mr Kappel’s appointment, he was designated in a Rioc
Board seat that does not require Roosevelt Island residency.
Also, please show where Mr Escobar was designated as an appointment which
required Roosevelt Island residency.
No answer received yet.
I asked Mr Kappel yesterday:
Do you have any comment on why you wish to remain on the RIOC Board of
Directors when you no longer live on Roosevelt Island?
Roosevelt Island is a diverse and tight-knit community, and local
representation on the RIOC board is critical to meeting the needs of its
residents. We are reviewing RIOC's enacting statute and examining potential
options to strengthen this representation.
Assembly Member Seawright replied:
Residents of Roosevelt Island are entitled to have their voices heard. It's
time to take a look at legislation that strengthens the residency requirement
so that diversity of opinion includes the viewpoints of the inhabitants of the
island.
Roosevelt Island resident Matt Katz shares this message he sent to RIOC
President Shelton Haynes explaining the importance of RIOC Directors living on
Roosevelt Island and being members of the community:
... Some of us still think that RIOC decision-making should be performed
by people with skin in the game, i.e. Roosevelt Island residents and we intend
to meet with Gov. Hochul and win her support.. Your efforts to include former
or part-time residents is an affront ... to a community that demands to be
part of the decision-making process. It's called democracy and we'd like some.
2. The board of directors of the corporation shall be composed of nine
members. One member shall be the commissioner, who shall serve as the chair;
one member shall be the director of the budget; and seven public members shall
be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Of the
seven public members, two members, one of whom shall be a resident of
Roosevelt Island, shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the mayor of
the city; and four additional members shall be residents of Roosevelt Island.
Each member shall serve for a term of four years and until his or her
successor shall have been appointed and shall have qualified, except that the
commissioner and the director of the budget shall serve so long as they
continue to hold their respective offices. Any action taken by the directors
of the corporation shall be taken by majority vote of the directors then in
office. The elected public officials who represent Roosevelt Island shall be
representatives to the board of directors of the corporation entitled to
receive notice of and attend all meetings of such board but shall not be
entitled to vote. Failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of
any action taken at a meeting of such board....
UPDATE 10/21 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Vice President Erin Feely-Nahem adds:
Jeffrey Escobar did the right thing by resigning.
Exacerbated by the pandemic,many issues have arisen on the Island which need to be addressed, increasing the importance of Resident input. As we are unable to vote for who manages and controls the ongoing development within our community, it is imperative to have active community members on the RIOC Board to provide insight on, and vote for what residents' feel is important for their community.
An individual who is living within a community offers a more educated opinion than either an individual who spends 40 hours a week here, or worse, pops in for an hour Zoom meeting quarterly. .At the least, residents should be voting on who we want to represent us on the five "public member" board seats.
David Kapell is unknown to the community and does not necessarily represent the resident's desires. Presently, although one can submit questions or concerns to the RIOC Board via email, there is no system in place for real dialogue between the RIOC Board members and the community, nor any means of accountability for decisions made.
UPDATE 11/1 - As reported 10/29, during the October 28 RIOC Board of Directors meeting Public Sessioin, I asked:
RIOC claims that current Board Member David Kapell holds 1 of two public
Board seats that does not require Roosevelt Island residency.
Please show where in Mr Kappel’s appointment by former Governor Cuomo, Mr
Kapell was designated in a Rioc Board seat that does not require Roosevelt
Island residency.
Also, please show where former RIOC Board member Jeff Escobar, who resigned
because he no longer lived on Roosevelt Island was designated as an
appointment which required Roosevelt Island residency.
Why does Mr Kappel wish to remain on RIOC Board since he no longer lives
here and is not effected by decisions made by the RIOC Board.
RIOC General Counsel Gretchen Robinson replied that Governor Hochul's
Appointments Office:
... has confirmed and double confirmed and triple confirmed that Mr Kapell is
serving in a legitimate seat and is not violating any regulation or rules or
laws. We appreciate his service to the Board.
Mr Kapell was appointed to the RIOC Board
with Jeff Escobar and Conway Ekpo in June 2019 by Governor Cuomo at which time
all 3 were Roosevelt Island residents. Mr Escobar moved away from Roosevelt
Island and resigned from the RIOC Board after the issue of his remaining was
raised.
Mr Kapell refuses to resign and declined to say why he wished to remain on the
RIOC Board after moving away from Roosevelt Island.
Roosevelt Island resident Matt Katz also asked during the Public Session about
Mr Kapell remaining on the RIOC Board after moving away from Roosevelt Island.
According to Mr Katz:
I wrote you on October 4 regarding the illegal appointments of Jeffrey
Escobar and David Kappel, non-residents of Roosevelt Island, to fill seats
on the RIOC Board of Directors designated by statute for Island residents.
There has been comment regarding the meaning of the term resident and I said
at the time that a resident is not a past resident, not a future resident or
a wanna-be resident. The reason we, Island activists persuaded Gov. Pataki
to require by amendment of Ch. 899 to appoint a majority of Island RESIDENTS
to the Board was to ensure that people with skin in the game would determine
this Island community's future. You write back, saying that you would
respond to me shortly. Three weeks later, there has been no response.
Since then, Jeffrey Escobar, a long-time advocate for and participant in the
life of this community, resigned from the Board, understanding the clear
(clear even to State lawyers) mandate to do so. David Kappel, never an Island
activist or participant in the life of this community,and unknown to me after
my many years of service to my fellow residents, has not resigned, perhaps
counting on former Governor Cuomo's endorsement as sufficient bona fides for
the post. We intend to bring the matter up with Gov. Hochul and to seek
redress for this violation of the statute. Regards,...
The rat problem is getting worse . There are so many rats going into out
patios and just running on the sides of 540 Main Street. They are now in
groups a lot of the time. Wholesome Factory puts dumpsters out in the evenings
and many of the dumpsters don’t have covers. There is also loose garbage
falling from overcrowded dumpsters. They also have garbage stored at the back
of the building until it’s put out at night. They have rat bait traps out but
that does nothing to take care of the rat problem.
The rat problem is so bad on my side that they roam from the steps that I
think used to be an outdoor theater to Wholesome dumpsters all the way down
from the beginning of the 540 walkway to the end near the water. Everyone on
this side with a patio apartment has a rat problem. Some can be seen during
the day but it’s much worse at night. I’m afraid to open my patio door at
night because it’s so dark and I’m afraid of them coming into the
apartment.
Is there anything that can be done to make Wholesome more responsible for the
problems they are causing. ?
The safety and health of our Roosevelt Landings community is our top priority.
While we have not received any complaints from residents, we are monitoring
the situation closely and continue to conduct weekly exterminations.
I asked
@ericadamsfornyc
about the lease expiration of Roosevelt Island
@RIOCny@RiocCeo and
Battery Park City
@bpca_ny with
NY State and if he will seek to extend the lease or favors return of
neighborhoods to NYC. He was not aware of issue but will look into it.
https://t.co/smIfzw7Cvr
I asked Mr Adams about the
expiration
of NYC's lease for Roosevelt Island with NY State in 2069. Mr Adams replied that
he was not familiar with the issue but would have his team look into it and get
back to me.
End of Rioc running Roosevelt Island but plenty of unknown issues
Between games today, Founding Project Main Street Board Member Michael Rosen
welcomed everybody coming out to support Project Main Street and spoke about
his Roosevelt Island friend Tim Sheehy. Here's a little bit of what Mr Rosen
said and a few plays from the softball game. (Will have more video
tomorrow).
Project Main Street's Special Honoree this year was
Drew "Grandmaster Dee" Carter
from the legendary Hip Hop group
Whodini
who grew up on Roosevelt Island and his mom still lives here. (Will have video
from him too).
This evening, there was a fundraising auction and celebration at The Sanctuary
too.
UPDATE 10/18 - More from Mike Rosen's welcoming yesterday:
I want to thank everybody for coming out to the Tim Sheehy Classic to
benefit Project Main Street.
Project Main Street as most of you know is an ALS charity. We support people
living with ALS.
We were founded by Tim Sheehy, a childhood friend of most of ours, a long
time Roosevelt Island resident who cared about helping other people at a
time when nobody would have felt bad if he was just thinking about himself.
But when Tim was diagnosed with ALS he was concerned with helping other
people with ALS even after he was gone. He put together Project Main Street.
The connection to Roosevelt Island is obvious. Most of the founders and the
people that have worked on Project Main Street are from Roosevelt Island.
The name itself is dedicated to Roosevelt Island. This is a Roosevelt
Island-born charity that has helped people since 2006 across the country.
Together this small volunteer organization that Tim Sheehy conceived in his
mind has raised over 1.5 million dollars for people. So today we're
talking about Project Main Street. We're talking about ALS.
We're also talking about Roosevelt Island because this is what makes this
event so special to us. To come out here on the field that we used to play
on when we were kids. To see all of our old friends together not just
getting together but getting together to do something good for society is so
meaningful to us and to have all the new friends that come here that are not
from Roosevelt Island but have joined this family and become part of
the Roosevelt Island Project Main Street family.
We thank you....
Here's the full video from yesterday's Project Main Street ceremony
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.
