The Fall for Arts Festival is almost here! Each year, as summer shifts to
autumn, artists and creative individuals meet outdoors on Roosevelt Island
to participate in an exhilarating day of painting. The resulting eclectic
collection of original murals that dot the lawn offers imaginative and
wonderful artwork to be discovered and enjoyed by residents and passersby
alike. After several weeks outdoors, the murals will come down, and selected
works are taken to the Island’s Motorgate Gallery for continued display.
Mark your calendar Saturday, September 14th from 10 AM to 5 PM, the 19th
annual Fall for Arts Festival on Roosevelt Island’s Meditation Lawn,
featuring live mural painting, food vendors and more!
The rain date is Sunday, September 15th.
Call For Artists
Call For Artists RIOC & RIVAA are seeking artists to paint a mural
during the Fall for Arts Festival. The murals are on a panel in landscape
format that are 6 feet high and 8 feet wide. The mural should depict one of
two themes:
Hidden Places
Waves of Change
If you would like to participate, apply by Sunday, August 25th.
Your theme selection: “Hidden Places” OR “Waves of Change”
A sketch of your design with a ratio of 6x8, JPEG files preferred. The
sketch should be finished-looking and in color if the panel will be
painted in color.
Brief descriptions of your design’s concept and technical method
Materials you will use, including choice of acrylic paint or spray paint.
If using spray paint, indicate what colors and whether a full or half can
is needed for each; there is a maximum number of colors provided.
Important things to note:
Only one application is allowed per person.
An individual or groups of individuals may apply for a mural panel.
Applying does not guarantee selection for participation.
Mural panels cannot include three-dimensional elements. If you plan to
glue or attach anything to the surface it must be flat, and you must
request permission and explain how you plan to do it when you submit your
design.
A protective layer will be added to the mural afterwards.
Participating in the festival is free. The following supplies are
provided:
A primed mural board and tarp underneath.
An acrylic paint set of 6 core colors OR spray paint
Brushes, water containers (there is a community water source), and mixing
trays
Excellent event, thanks to you, your staff, and RIOC staff. While you can't stop the rain, you adjusted the event to be indoors - this worked out well as the kids had fun, balloons and face-painting, hot dogs, and ice cream. Not to mention, the PSD table had lots of nice swag, including the reflective snap bands - gone quickly!
I'd like to point out a couple things that really distinguishes these Roosevelt Island events (Roosevelt Island Day, National Night Out, Tree Lighting, etc.) is that they reflect and support our mixed-income community. And who hires an ice cream truck? I tell people off-Island about our events and their reaction is "You mean you walk up and get a FREE ice cream cone ... with sprinkles?" Yup, vanilla, chocolate, or both. I think it's these smaller ideas - the free food, popcorn, balloons, ... everything - that conveys a kind of "we all care about each other" vibe and that makes it a life memory.
RIRA Community Emergency Committee Chair Frank Farance is presenting several emergency preparedness webinars this August, starting tonight, August 8 from 8-9PM, with a KIDS/YOUTH presentation. He'll be discussing evacuations and sheltering in place - and what that means for you and your family. This is a whole family event, children and youth are encouraged to ask questions!
It was a nice place to collect thoughts once and a while.
The older people will suffer because they sit there and socialize.
This is so against the original vibe of the island, it's a communal space , a place for people to gather outside their homes, a place for elderly to see friends and reduce isolation, a place for younger people to 'chat shit' with friends. If there's anti social behavior PSD should intervene, getting rid of the benches is prejudiced and anti community. If the plan (whose plan ? Not people who live here) is to get rid of the coverings then again ...why ?? It enables people to gather in all weather. This makes me sad.
It makes me sad every time I come to the island to visit my parents how much they have ruined the place since I left.
The problem is that PSD doesn’t intervene- I live above the 560 benches in a street facing apartment and I’ve called PSD countless times at 2am for loud partying on those benches that carries over to the outside of Bread & Butter (not just weekends, but during the week/work nights). PSD comes over, gives them a fist bump, chit chats, and heads back to their HQ- they don’t issue tickets, they don’t break up the party- they just go over, say hello, and leave. I know because I watch and I can hear PSD. If there was a way for residents to enjoy having their windows open while still being able to sleep, it’d be a different story- but if PSD doesn’t enforce noise laws, removing the benches to break up the party seems like the solution. I wish it weren’t so.
Please, it is not for socialization. The bench by 560 is for drug dealing and for drug using while they do it infront of their toddlers and kids. 540 recently has become a rapping bench where loud music and drugs start midday until 3-5am non stop.
We can argue that your building remove the elements covers that they had to prevent the exact same thing.
Honestly I’m glad those benches are gone. Rarely did you see seniors sitting there. It has become an infestation of people smoking weed, drinking and loud music! It’s like Public Safety was afraid to confront them! It’s absolutely a terrible look for this Island!!
if you live in the island there are people dealing drugs on this bench. That’s probably why it was removed. Speculating of course.
all the elderly who use those benches to get some air and sun and rest on their way home from the train and the store can kick rocks right?
They were nice to have during the day, but it’s been really nice to sleep with my windows open for the first time in the 3 years I’ve lived in my current apartment. People are always out partying (loudly) until 4am on the 560 benches and PSD does nothing with the noise complaints called in- the building probably got so many complaints from all the tenants with street side windows who couldn’t open them & enjoy a breeze during the night.
Public safety has had years to do their jobs and clear out the overnight loud partying on those benches and they haven’t…despite being 100 feet away in their HQ. It’s a shame we can’t rely on PSD or RIOC to do the bare minimum on this island, but tenants shouldn’t have to suffer because of it (or because of inconsiderate slobs that party there all night and leave all their trash & beer bottles for building staff to clean up every morning).
Previous Roosevelt Landings owners have sought approval of electricity
sub-metering going back as far as
2008
and
2011, each time meeting strong opposition from building residents and
local elected officials.
Several weeks ago, Roosevelt Landings managing agent
C+C Management hosted
an information session for building residents about their proposed renewed
electricity sub-metering plan. I asked Roosevelt Landings Residents
Association President Joyce Short and Vice President Romano Reid:
I'm preparing a story on the Roosevelt Landings sub-metering issue and
recent meeting.
Do either of you wish to send a comment to be included in the article?
Ms Short and Mr Reid replied:
Our building has changed hands since 2014 when the Public Service
Commission stayed our previous landlord's attempt to submeter. But little
has changed to cure the critical issues raised by the stay. The new
owners, L&M, and their Managing Agent C&C, seem to take our
residents for fools. They held an "education" meeting in which they told
residents they could change their light bulbs to LEDs and watch less TV,
as if that would offset the absurd bills they'll receive to keep their
families warm through the cold winter months. The landlord claims to have
removed the burden of heat from our residents' shoulders, but residents
know this claim is simply "lipstick on a pig."
Because our building is poorly insulated and has a porous skin that fails
to retain heat, residents turn to plug-in space heaters that they will be
charged for. In the summer, our building is equally poor at retaining air
conditioning. Our a/c units are plug-ins and have to work overtime because
of the insulation defects. Residents will be charged the entire expense
for running their air conditioners.
Our residents have repeatedly experienced the dire consequences of their
aging heaters that ignited fires in several homes. And because the last
landlord failed to replace the summer/winter switches that enabled our air
conditioners to run on a separate circuit, a/c fires have also become a
common occurrence.
The landlord knows that the building's heating and insulation system is
deficient. That's why they're investing millions of dollars into their
current repair project. Their efforts are projected to take two years or
more, but December of this year is their target date for submetering.
Until they repair the building's problems, they'd like residents to bury
their heads in the sand and pretend they're just trying to "green" our
building. Our residents know that the only green in their submetering
plan, however, is the financial, plug-in burden the landlord will dump on
their shoulders.
Particularly for the building's subsidized, elderly, and disabled
residents who will be charged for necessary medical devices, plug-ins as
"added rent" could lead to their eviction. Protecting the homes of our
vulnerable residents is a priority.
You can watch the insulation work taking place on the east promenade
behind building 510. You can learn more about the building's
submetering problems by linking to our webpage.
And if you are a building resident, please sign the petition to stay
submetering and write your comment to the PSC. You'll find the information
you'll need on our webpage.
We're not saying don't submeter. We're saying don't submeter until you fix
the problems with the building.
I spoke with Ms Short on August 4 in front of the exterior renovation work
being done on the buildings.
I asked C+C Management about the sub-metering concerns raised by the
Roosevelt Landings Residents Association:
A spokesperson for C+C Management replied:
“We have been communicating closely with residents about the plan to
submeter non-heat electric usage at The Landings. This includes providing
four educational sessions and residents have been notified that when
submetering goes into effect, there will be a monthly rent reduction. We
will continue to keep residents informed as this process moves forward and
we are always available to answer any questions or concerns.”
C+C Management provided the following background on their submetering
proposal.
The plan to submeter non-heat electric usage at The Landings was approved
under previous ownership in 2014. On June 26, 2024, a letter was issued by
the New York State Public Service Commission to begin the submetering
process.
All residents will receive a monthly rent reduction when submetering goes
into effect depending on the size of the apartment and calculated by the
New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development. A
letter was distributed to residents on June 26, 2024 with this
information.
Four educational sessions will be provided to residents prior to the start
of submetering, with additional sessions available after submetering
begins. The first educational session was held on July 8, 2024.
We have heard residents’ concerns about plug-in medical devices. The
project team is working on developing a solution to address the matter.
Most New York City residents pay for their own electric usage through
submetering. Submetering reduces pollution, combats climate change, and
awareness of personal energy use can lead to energy conservation and
utility savings.
The plan to submeter non-heat electric usage at The Landings was not
contingent on the Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) work.
The EIFS work will go above and beyond in providing benefits to residents.
The façade improvements will further reduce energy consumption and
increase indoor comfort.
There were no heat violations in the 2023/2024 heating season at The
Landings.
Residents should contact the management office at 212-838-4747 to report
any maintenance issues.
Our office has been in contact with the Public Service Commission and we
did receive this (hopeful) notification from PSC last week:
“We are discussing the sub-metering issue internally. My presumption
is that the process will slow down and provide time for us to carefully
check the compliance stuff....
According to the Carter Burden Senior Center, they have been told their
outdoor patio garden will be closed very soon during renovations to the
building's exterior wall and that the doors leading from the Senior Center
to the outdoor patio will be sealed with no exit into the area possible. I'm
told that the doors to the outdoor patio are "fire doors" which need to be
accessible to the Senior Center in the event of an emergency. Is this true?
C+C Management replied:
The Senior Center patio doors are not fire doors and in the event of an
emergency, there is an exit path on the DOB-approved Site Safety Plan.
However, we understand residents’ concerns regarding access and will install
a temporary bridge off the deck to Main Street. This temporary bridge will
provide a path for residents to exit the patio.
Will update on the Roosevelt Landings electricity submetering issue when more
info becomes available.
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.
