Sunday March 24 At The Castle Rooftop (425 Main Street).
You are summoned to our Castle for a Purim Celebration that Promises to be a Knight to Remember. Come adorned as your favorite Chess Piece, Purim Character or a Fusion of Both.
Feast on a spread fit for Royalty with Hamantaschen that will have you Pawn-Ding for more.
RSVP to Nechama@jewish.org
Here's the story of Purim from Mayim Bialik
and in song from the Maccabeats.
Roosevelt Island's Mediterranean Eatery has some Hamantaschen for you too.
Seymour Williams,
CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) is a trusted advisor to individuals and
business owners who seek to maximize their financial position.
For over 30 years
he has been a fully licensed expert in the financial fields of investments,
insurance, real estate, mortgages and taxation. He is the President of
Accountable Financial Management Corp,
a minority owned business which has operated here on Main Street for more
than 20 years.
We get the job done.
Mr. Williams’ professional experience is extensive and he has consulted with
several major international banks and with programs sponsored by both the
Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Mr Williams is a Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Enrolled Agent (EA). and also
the treasurer of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.
Mr Williams holds a BBA degree from Bernard M. Baruch College and an MBA in
Finance from Long Island University, where he served on the faculty as a
Professor of Finance and Management. He has lived on Roosevelt Island for
35+ years raising his family and serving as a respected member of the
community.
CONTACT:
501 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Website: www.afmcmoney.com Email:
accfin1@aol.com
Phone: 212-644-8231
Fax: 212-644-0292
Dave Dey is a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell Tech currently conducting a
virtual reality study to understand traffic interactions between pedestrians and
drivers.
We are conducting an academic study in virtual reality to understand the
interactions between drivers and pedestrians in a traffic environment.
You will be asked to put on a virtual reality headset
and play the role
of either a driver or a pedestrian.
You will pair up with another
participant in the experiment and interact with them in the virtual
environment.
Where:
The study will take place at the Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech.
How long:
The study is expected to take 1.5 hours at most. Likely, it will be
shorter, closer to 1 hour, but we would like to reserve 1.5 hours to be
on the safe side.
Sign-up notes:
The study requires a pair of individuals — two participants need to be
present together to conduct this experiment. You don't have to find a
partner, but if you know a friend or colleague who might like to
participate too, please
share the sign-up link with them and ask them to sign up for the same slot as you! Otherwise, if
possible, please try to sign up for a slot where someone else has
already signed up (i.e. a slot where you see only 1 spot is left)! We
will actively recruit other participants to fill in the slot, so do not
feel obligated to look for a partner, but your help in spreading the
word is greatly appreciated!
Contact:
If you have any questions or concerns, have difficulties finding the location and need directions, or need to reach the study coordinator for any reason, feel free to email Dave Dey at dd639(at)cornell(dot)edu.
Click here to sign up for the study and more info.
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During the February 1 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Of Directors meeting, Deputy General Counsel Gerrald Ellis and Chief Financial Officer Dhru Amin presented what they describe as the RIOC "Interim Leadership Report" to the Roosevelt Island community.
According to Mr Ellis
... The RIOC Interim Leadership Team, Dhru and myself, we're hitting the ground running and we're working to maintain the Island's vital services and to better communicate with the community... I think one of our first initiatives is to focus on greater transparency and collaboration among Island stakeholders....
So far, Mr Ellis and Ms Amin have kept their word by greatly improving communications and collaboration with the Roosevelt Island community that was lacking with RIOC President Shelton Haynes and General Counsel Gretchen Robinson (who are currently on a paid leave pending an investigation for workplace concerns raised by RIOC staff).
During the March 14 RIOC Real Estate Development Advisory Committee (REDAC) meeting, RIOC Board Director Howard Polivy and Mr Ellis proposed a new Roosevelt Island community collaboration initiative - creating Working Advisory Groups of concerned residents and RIOC staff to find solutions for emerging issues.
Here's the discussion.
Today RIOC announced:
Dear Roosevelt Island Residents:
At the suggestion of the Roosevelt Island community, RIOC is putting together several new working advisory groups made up of island residents and RIOC personnel to discuss emergent issues on the island. These groups will offer recommendations and feedback to RIOC on some of the most pressing issues we face, from safety and transportation to economic development and capital planning.
The first such advisory group will focus on:
Tramway management during the upcoming Cherry Blossom season – co-Chaired by Roosevelt Island Resident and RIOC Board Member Howard Polivy – First meeting Tuesday, March 26th at 7PM.
This group is a wonderful opportunity for Roosevelt Island residents to get involved and have their ideas heard and discussed with fellow island stakeholders and RIOC.
Our first working group on the Tram/Cherry Blossom season will meet beginning next week, Tuesday March 26th at 7PM to discuss planned operational preparations for the season.
According to MTA Assistant Director, Government & Community Relations Katerina Patouri:
Dear Community Stakeholder:
Please be advised of the following service change as part of the ongoing 63rd St Direct Fixation Project:
March 29 - April 1
In support of the 63 St track replacement project, the F shuttle train will be suspended on the weekend of March 29th – April 1st. See details below:
F shuttle train service will be suspended starting on Saturday 3/30 at 5AM.
Starting at 11:30 PM on Friday 3/29, a free shuttle bus will replace the Q95 and Q94 and will connect Roosevelt Island, 21 St- Queensbridge, and Queens Plaza, following the current Q94 overnight shuttle route.
This shuttle bus will run during daytime and overnight hours for the duration of the weekend and is scheduled to operate approximately every 5-10 minutes.
The F train will continue to operate via the E in both directions.
From 5:30AM – 10PM on Friday 3/29, M train service will operate between Metropolitan Av and Delancey St-Essex St, and via the J to/from Chambers Street, the last stop. The M train will resume its normal overnight/weekend service at 10PM on Friday 3/29.
At this time, it is anticipated that F, E, and M train service will resume normal operation between Queens and Manhattan starting at 5AM on April 1st.
During the March 14, 2024 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Real Estate Development Advisory Committee (REDAC) meeting, Acting RIOC Chief Operating Officer Mary Cunneen provided an overview of the Motorgate Parking Garage operations including total capacity, usage,
rates and a comparison with other nearby parking garages in Astoria and the Upper East Side.
Heres the REDAC meeting discussion of the Motorgate Parking garage.
... During the February 15, 2024 RIOC Board of Directors Real Estate Development Advisory Committee meeting, the new interim RIOC leadership of Deputy General Counsel Gerrald Ellis and Chief Financial Officer Dhru Amin discussed the upcoming May 1 parking rate increases for Motorgate customers.
The new Motorgate Parking rates (including tax) are proposed as follows....
During the March 14 REDAC meeting, Mr Ellis reported that the previously announced Motorgate rate increase for disabled customers will not be increased to $127.50 but will remain at $62.50. According to Mr Ellis:
...The disabled
rate was originally planned to go from
zero to $62.50 which is what it's
currently at, and then to increase again
from $62.50 to $125 per month. We
are not going to implement with respect
to the disabled rate.
In order to make
this neutral, what was
announced previously was a 2% increase for the resident rate. In order to
keep this revenue neutral that will have
to be a little bit higher, not
drastically. I think what we've landed on
is 3% ... resident rate. We
anticipate these changes
are set to take effect May 1st...
Ms Cunneen reported that there are 438 people on the Motorgate Parking garage waiting list and that the longest a resident is on the current waiting list is from April 2022. She added that Motorgate is currently not opening accounts for non-residents due to the current demand from residents for parking spots.
RIOC Board Director Ben Fhala asked Manhattan Park (which owns 39% of Motorgate to RIOC's 61%) Property Manager Brian Weisberg about participating in future renovations of the Garage:
... so that's it's sustainable for the next 30 years....
Mr Weisberg replied:
Let me just say that everything
is open for a
discussion. Perhaps
other housing companies can get on
board not just Manhattan Park and RIOC.
In February 2022, Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Committee Chairs toured the Motorgate Garage exploring ideas for increasing parking spots and RIRA's Frank Farance proposed expanding the garage by building an addition in the currently vacant quadrant of the area.
Giandomenico Picco, an Italian diplomat who as the “chief troubleshooter” for the United Nations helped resolve conflicts across the globe, has died at 75. https://t.co/IvW0sLCv5j
Giandomenico Picco, an Italian diplomat who as a lead negotiator for the United Nations helped resolve conflicts across the globe — most notably spending nearly a year in the early 1990s shuttling around the Middle East to secure the release of 11 hostages held by terrorist groups in Lebanon — died on Sunday in Wilton, Conn., in Fairfield County. He was 75....
... Tall, sharply dressed and always discreet, Mr. Picco was something of a mystery within the U.N. bureaucracy. He would disappear without notice from the headquarters in Manhattan, only to surface a few days later in Lebanon, Iran or Afghanistan, often without having passed through border controls along the way....
... I did not do diplomacy in the
desk. I did not do diplomacy on the great halls of the UN. I actually did
diplomacy with results not with the blah blah and not with the piece of paper. In
the real theater of life.
I took home eight American hostages, which had been
kept there the longest one for five years, three British hostages and two German hostages. In the meantime and during this
operation, I was myself taken four times, blindfolded, locked up in the back of the car and eventually talked so much that
they've let me go because they couldn't take it anymore...
Condolences to Mr Picco's family, friends and colleagues.
51 years ago, an isolated island in the East River underwent a transformation and was renamed Roosevelt Island, shedding its former identity as Welfare Island. Once home to numerous public institutions, the island has since evolved into a vibrant community that attracts thousands of tourists annually. However, many visitors and even residents remain unaware of its intricate history, encompassing decades of development in a relatively small space.
In 1969, architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee introduced the visionary master plan titled "The Island that Nobody Knows." This plan aimed to create a groundbreaking, new community as a response to the urban exodus of previous decades. Despite its positive reception, the plan fell short of complete realization. Today's Roosevelt Island reflects only a fraction of Johnson and Burgee's ambitious vision.
Join us for a presentation hosted by The Roosevelt Island Historical Society, featuring Hunter College graduate student Dylan Brown. Brown will delve into the intricate redevelopment of Roosevelt Island and illuminate how its current state diverges from the original master plan. Explore this fascinating journey through archival materials exclusively sourced from The Roosevelt Island Historical Society's collections.
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.
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