American Democracy Is At Stake, Get Out And Vote, Early Voting Ends Sunday, Election Day Is Tuesday November 8 - Roosevelt Island Polling Location At PS 217

Tomorrow is the last day of NY State Early Voting for the 2022 General Election.

Roosevelt Island early voting location is at PS 217 (645 Main Street) and hours are 9 AM to 5 PM.

Election Day is Tuesday November 8 at the same location. Hours are 6 AM to 9 PM. 

The NYC Board of Elections, early voting numbers for Manhattan thru November 5 are 110,922. .

According to a knowledgeable Tipster the early voting numbers for Roosevelt Island thru Friday are very low. 

During an October 23 community meeting with NY State Senator Liz Kruger, a Roosevelt Island resident asked if it was possible Governor Kathy Hochul could lose to the Republican candidate Lee Zeldin. Ms Krueger replied, yes, if Democrats don't come out to vote.

 

Here's more on the NY Governor's race.

And the national campaign.

American democracy is at stake. Get out and Vote!!

The only way to make our democracy stronger is if we fight for it.

And that starts by electing people who know you, who see you, and who understand what you’re going through.

So vote for Democrats up and down the ballot on Election Day.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 4, 2022

You're Invited To Gallery RIVAA Opening Reception Of Selected Works From The Roosevelt Island Carter Burden Network Older Adult Center Art Workshop Saturday November 5 - Come Meet Your Neighbors And Support Local Senior Artists

According to Roosevelt Island's Gallery RIVAA:

On Saturday, November 5th, from 5-8 PM You're Invited To The Opening Reception of “Selected Works from the Roosevelt Island Carter Burden Network- Older Adult Center Art Workshop,”a Community Exhibition at RIVAA Gallery.

This exhibition features paintings and collages by participants of the Art Workshop at the Roosevelt Island Carter Burden Adult Center led by John Mendelsohn. 

Gallery RIVAA is located at 527 Main Street.

 Come meet your neighbors tomorrow evening at Gallery RIVAA and support local senior artists.

Watch Video Of Roosevelt Island AVAC Underground Garbage Collection System Worker Explaining How Tubes Get Jammed And Fixed - Also, It's True That Lightning Strike Shut Down AVAC Briefly Last Month

As reported October 24:

The 2022 Open House New York featured a tour of the Roosevelt Island AVAC (Automatic Vacuum Collection) underground garbage collection system yesterday afternoon.

It was a fascinating tour led by TJ who works for NYC Sanitation Department at the Roosevelt Island AVAC facility....

Watch TJ explain how the Roosevelt Island AVAC tubes get jammed and fixed.

Watch the complete video of the AVAC tour.

TJ also confirmed a report by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) of an October 1 lightening strike at the AVAC facility which shut the service done that had been challenged as untrue and ridiculed by a local observer.

Here's more of the tour from inside the AVAC control room.

Inside the Roosevelt Island AVAC (Automatic Vacuum Collection) underground garbage collection control room. Watch video of full @ohny @NYCSanitation tour. https://t.co/TdPGVq4sEl pic.twitter.com/wtlCWMFRhj

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) October 25, 2022

Resident Asks NY State Senator Liz Krueger For Roosevelt Island Exemption To MTA's NYC Congestion Pricing Plan During Recent Community Meeting - Geographic Exemptions Not Going To Happen Is The Answer

NY State Senator Liz Krueger met with Roosevelt Island residents last October 23 to discuss a variety of community issues.

One resident asked:

I'd like to ask that Roosevelt Island be exempt from congestion pricing because... 

Before the question could be completed, Senator Krueger said:

We're not going to do that.

We can't do that. 

It's not me it's a Congestion Board that's been created through the MTA that will make all the exemption rules but I will tell you that most everyone who testified in all the many public hearings and the people who have been working on this for years said if you start to exempt people based on geography then you end up having to exempt everyone and it's not going to work. 

So my gut is there will be no exemptions. Trust me, most of my district is in the zone. The people who live there are like why the hell should we have to pay we already live here and I think that's how it's going to work so I can't I'll let you finish your sentence....

Here's the full congestion pricing discussion with Senator Krueger and video of full meeting.

More here on the NYC congestion pricing plan.

During the meeting with Ms Krueger, it was noted that Roosevelt Island resident Carl Weisbrod is a member of the MTA's Congestion Pricing Board.

More here on the MTA' congestion pricing plan.

Sponsored Post - You're Invited To The Great Roosevelt Island Pumpkin Smash Saturday November 5, Don't Let Your Pumpkin Haunt The Landfill - Bring Pumpkins To Manhattan Park Lawn For Smashing And Turn Them Into Compost, Fun For Kids Of All Ages

The Great Roosevelt Island Pumpkin Smash takes place again this year at the Manhattan Park Upper Lawn on Saturday November 5.

Roosevelt Island resident and  iDig2Learn founder Christina Delfico reports…

The Pumpkin Smash is back! 

 Are you ready to SMASH your pumpkins? 

You bought ‘em, earth wants ‘em. Give our soils a treat, don’t let your pumpkins haunt the landfill where they trick the earth by releasing methane gas. Come smash them for compost with us from 11am to 2pm Saturday, November 5th at our new location - Manhattan Park’s upper “Central Park” lawn, across from Foodtown. Thanks again to Manhattan Park for hosting this fun event.

New this year - Gil Lopez from Big Reuse is back and will be giving out compost at the Pumpkin Smash thanks to generous support from City Council Member Julie Menin who is funding Big Reuse educational compost efforts on Roosevelt Island.  Please bring your own container if you want some compost for your houseplants!

Back by popular demand … the leaf pile thanks to Four Freedoms Park for even more leafy goodness! And of course, pumpkin smashing or as we like to call it - pumpkin therapy - will be the main event!  All those mushy bits and dry crunchy leaves will be composted.

Regular food scrap droppers know food is not trash.  They show their Earth Love by valuing and dropping off coffee grounds, egg shells, veggie (including pumpkins) and fruit scraps each Saturday near the farmers market with local Haki Compost Collective volunteers and you can too.   Since 2015, Islanders have diverted over 275,000 pounds of food scraps from landfill.  And our compost partners, Big Reuse, take islander’s food scraps and process them into compost which returns to our neighborhood soils.  Most recently that compost fed 70+ new baby trees at Lighthouse Park.

Mark your calendars
The Haki Compost Collective volunteers and Big Reuse Food Scrap Drop Off, supported by RIOC, will be moving to the winter Motorgate / Helix location on November 26, 2022 with the Farmers Market.  And be on the lookout for the next Haki Volunteer Orientations if you wish to volunteer or write to hakicompost@gmail.com

Please join us for cookies and cider by Wengerd Farm, coffee and cocoa from Foodtown, Cakes by Andrea Jackson while they last.  Visit the RI Garden Club worm table and friends from GRIN and iDig2Learn from 11am to 2pm.

A huge shout out to Assembly Member Seawright for sponsoring the Bellies, Bins and Beauty compost initiative and to event supporters RIOC plus volunteers including Coach Scot’s Baseball Players, the Girl Scouts and all the neighbors who bring their Pumpkins, Jack-o-Lanterns, and Gourds for a smashing good time!  See ya’ at the Smash.

Here are scenes from the 2021 Great Roosevelt Island Pumpkin Smash.

Sponsored Post - 10 Years Ago This Week Superstorm Sandy Ravaged NYC - Be Prepared, Do You Know Your Roosevelt Island Hurricane Zone? Watch NYC Emergency Management Department Atlantic Hurricane Season Workshop

New Yorkers are resilient.

In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy ravaged our city, and took 44 lives.

Ten years later, we not only remember those we lost but we recommit to rebuilding and equip ourselves with the necessary engineering solutions to fight climate change. pic.twitter.com/T7K01X0wPb

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) October 28, 2022

The NYC Emergency Management Department reports:

What are hurricane evacuation zones?

There are six hurricane evacuation zones, ranked by the risk of storm surge impact, with zone 1 being the most likely to flood. In the event of a hurricane or tropical storm, residents in these zones may be ordered to evacuate.

I noticed that my zone has changed. Why is that?

Zones are updated to incorporate new, higher resolution storm surge model output from the National Weather Service. These data, combined with improved topographic data, and information from actual events, allow the City to more accurately define areas most at risk of flooding due to storm surge from a hurricane....

Roosevelt Island residents live in both Zones 2 and 3 depending upon the location of your building. As shown in the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder below, the Roosevelt Island buildings colored in brown are in Zone 2 and those colored in Yellow are in Zone 3. The nearby Evacuation Centers are shown too.

The Octagon, Manhattan Park, Westview, Island House, Roosevelt Landings, Cornell Tech, Coler Hospital and Riverwalk 480, 475 and 460 Main Street buildings are in Zone 2.   

Riverwalk 405, 425, 455, 465 and Rivercross (531) buildings are in Zone 3.  

Click here for more info and to find the Hurricane Evacuation Zone of your Roosevelt Island address. 

The NYC Emergency Management Department hosted a 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season workshop for community media last June. I asked why some Roosevelt Island buildings are in Zone 2 and those next door are Zone 3. 

Watch the full workshop from the beginning.

Here's some scenes of what Roosevelt Island looked like during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012

 Westview Promenade Image Courtesy of Brian Dorfman

 Roosevelt Island Lighthouse Park Under Water From Hurricane Sandy Via Kate Williams Tweet

and a report on damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Click here for more information from the NYC Emergency Management Department.

Sponsored Post - Advantage QuickStart Tennis, Have A Ball This Fall At The Roosevelt Island Racquet Club For Ages 4 And Up - Take A Trial Class, Sign Up Today

Advantage Quick Start Tennis, Have A Ball This Fall - Ages 4 & Up.

At the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (281 Main Street). 

 

Advantage QuickStart – tennis customized for your child’s age and ability

Now kids can learn tennis more easily, rally faster, and develop a love of the game earlier. All with our expanded QuickStart program. We’ve added more classes and more chances to practice outside of class. Kids can get practice with Play More – allows your child extra time to play and improve. All at no extra cost to you. 

Here’s what kids love about Advantage QuickStart programs:

• Real tennis sized for kids
• Engaging games & drills keep everyone active & learning
• Age-and level-appropriate competition
• Tennis is fun from day one!

Here’s what parents like about Advantage QuickStart programs:

• Expert instruction and a structured program
• Thorough grounding in tennis fundamentals
• Many convenient locations
• Custom teaching method that is safer, smarter, and more fun
• 5% sibling discount
• See for yourself in this short video!

 

Click Here For More Info or Call 212.935.0250 ext 819

You're Invited To New York School For The Arts Open House November 2, It's A Hidden Gem In Our Backyard Says Roosevelt Island Artist

Roosevelt Island resident Lauren Blankstein reports:

I am writing this post to share with my Roosevelt Island neighbors that there is a hidden gem in our proverbial backyard -- 62nd St. just east of 2nd Ave. -- which very few Islanders seem to know about. The New York School of the Arts (NYSA) is located in a beautiful renovated warehouse space offering a variety of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media classes.

I had been making art for many years prior to enrolling in a painting class at NYSA just before the pandemic. 

They saved my sanity when they opened for socially distanced studio-style classes in the fall of 2020. It wasn’t until then that I tapped into the depth of my creativity and began exploring what I really wanted to say with my work. There is a generosity and willingness among faculty to support each student’s unique practice and help them develop a language and voice. As a result, my work and practice transformed, and so to go deeper I enrolled in the school’s Arts Intensive Program which gives me dedicated studio space and more access to faculty and classes. The following quote by David Bowie beautifully sums up what I have learned and internalized:

“Always remember that the reason you initially started working is that there was something inside yourself you felt that if you could manifest in some way you would understand more about yourself and how you coexist with the rest of society.”

In addition to two expansive floors of spaces for classes (not to mention a massive library of art books), the school houses two galleries for curated shows and a floor dedicated to private studio spaces. New York School of the Arts is celebrating its 5th anniversary with an Open House November 2, 6-9pm. 

There will be art demonstrations, refreshments, an exhibition of faculty work and open studios of resident artists (including mine!). It’s a great opportunity to get a feel for what the school offers. I feel incredibly fortunate that this special place is so close to home.

For more information about the school.

To RSVP to the open house.

View this post on Instagram

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