Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department (PSD) Chief Kevin Brown and Deputy Chief Anthony Amoroso hosted the PSD Monthly Community Engagement with a small gathering of Roosevelt Island residents at the Good Shepherd Chapel on Tuesday evening September 17.
Recent events including National Night Out and School Backpack & supplies giveaway (over 300 backpacks given away),
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony,
Pet Registrations,
Overcrowding last Saturday during the Flower Market public art installation at Four Freedoms Park,
Crackdown on reckless Main Street motorbike drivers and confiscation of their vehicles,
Too many domestic violence assaults occurring,
Ambulance and FDNY vehicles will be stationed on Roosevelt Island during the upcoming UN General Assembly Week when the Roosevelt Island Bridge is often closed
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors
will meet Thursday September 19 in the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street) beginning at 5:30 pm.
You're invited to attend, ask questions and share concerns about Roosevelt Island during the opening Public Session before the start of the RIOC Board meeting. Sign up to speak here.
Authorization to Enter into Contract with the New York Community Trust (“NYCT”) for
Public Purpose Funds Grant Program (Board Action Required – Materials to Follow) 5. Update on the Bus Operations...
Here's the memo from RIOC CFO Dhru Amin to the RIOC Board of Directors in support of increasing Public Purpose Funds from $150 thousand to $250 thousand annually
... $301,000 in two-year grants to 12 nonprofits working to benefit Roosevelt Island residents and enhance their quality of life....
... Based on formal criteria laid out in the Request for Proposals, they prioritized projects that enhanced the well-being of Roosevelt Island residents; organizations with a history of commitment and a proven track record of serving Roosevelt Island; that filled a critical gap in services to historically under-resourced communities (such as low-income populations, communities of color, older adults, and people with disabilities); that clearly articulated project outcomes and activities; and that aimed for long-term engagement with beneficiaries.
The grant recipients are:
The Carter Burden Network, $29,000, to provide case management services to Korean-speaking residents.
iDig2Learn, $20,000, for a community meals, composting, and beautification project.
Island Kids, $20,000, for summer camp scholarships for 15 or more children.
Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, $40,000, to provide food pantry services, field trips, and a mental health fair to disabled and older adult communities.
In addition, the Fund provided a grant of $15,000 to Community Resource Exchange to offer a series of free management and network-building workshops to grantees and other Roosevelt Island nonprofits. The workshops will help strengthen nonprofits in areas such as marketing, fundraising, and creating strategic partnerships.
There have been concerns raised by some Roosevelt Island organizations about a lack of transparency by NY Community Trust in not publicly reporting the reasons why some groups receive greater and others lesser amounts of Public Purpose Funds as was done in prior years when the Roosevelt Island Residents Association made these recommendations to RIOC. It's not clear whether greater reporting transparency is including in this new agreement with RIOC.
... this past February Council Member Julie Menin introduced Resolution 0132, calling on the NY State Legislature and Government to grant residents of Roosevelt Island the power to vote for members of the board of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. You can read more about the bill here:
Just today, the Council Committee on Government Operations, State and Federal Legislation announced that this bill will be heard during their 10am hearing this Thursday, the 19th. We are encouraging all members of the community to testify either in person at the Committee Room at City Hall, virtually through zoom or you may submit written testimony. To register, please visit and click on the 9/19 Committee on Government Operations, State and Federal Legislation. Unfortunately, Council Member Menin is not a member of this committee and is already scheduled to speak at a healthcare related conference during this hearing.
I asked Mr Krikler for comment on the resolution. Mr Krikler replied:
I am a member of Community Board 8, but I am commenting in my individual capacity as a resident of RI; As a four year resident of Roosevelt Island, I am thrilled to see Res 0132. I plan on attending the hearing to give testimony in support of this resolution. I will be speaking on behalf of the nearly 1,100 people who signed a petition, we residents started, demanding direct elections of the RIOC Directors.
We have had too many years of lackadaisical and ineffective management at RIOC. While current interim management are a breathe of fresh air, we need better oversight of RIOC as this is the rarity and not the norm. I encourage others to testify, in person, on zoom or with written testimony. The City Council needs to hear from us all.
Click here for info to testify on the resolution in support of RIOC Board directors before the 9/19 Committee on Government Operations, State and Federal Legislation in person, virtually by zoom or submit written testimony.
But be aware that the NYC Council has no power to implement RIOC Board elections which is under the jurisdiction of NY State although passing the resolution could have a degree of persuasive authority on the issue with NY State decision makers.
Many of the things you wondered about the island answered in one evening. Many of us have lived here for decades and have accumulated vast amounts of information (and some mis-information). Join Judith Berdy, long time resident as she takes on a history trip and into how the community developed and how it became the Roosevelt Island we live in today.
“This is a great introduction for our new residents who have many questions about our community,” Judy says. “Join us for a fun evening of facts, fiction and fantasy.”
When: September 17th, @ 6:30 p.m.
Where: New York Public Library Branch, 504 Main Street
*This is a free public program of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS).
No Registration Required
Take a virtual tour of yesterday's Roosevelt Island Fall For Arts Festival at Mediation Lawn organized by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) and RIVAA Gallery
Visitors were encouraged to register for free tickets but this morning the
Roosevelt Island Flower Market location was overwhelmed with crowds of
visitors without tickets. At least 5 thousand people showed up at the gates to
Southpoint Park and FDR 4 Freedoms Park
Chaos at south point park, public safety “closed” the flower event due
to overcrowding and are telling everyone to exit the park, terrible
organization and communication! Hundreds of people still on their way and
there is no info on any socials about this so maybe you can share!”. Hoping
to avoid another Cherry Blossom Festival disaster
RIOC PSD Chief Kevin Brown was at the subway station explaining to a woman
that the Flower Market exhibition was closed due to overcrowding.
According to FDR 4 Freedom Parks Conservancy CEO Howard Axel:
We had to shut down the event in an abundance of caution. And the good folks from NYPD and PSD are assisting us. The event is over and we will open the gates as soon as we can to regular park visitors.
After the park was closed, the line of people already inside was 3
hours long to get into the Flower Market greenhouse
The event was moved to Industry City tomorrow in Brooklyn.
Roosevelt Island clearly cannot handle events with these type of large
crowds. Fortunately, Roosevelt Island PSD and the NYPD were able to safely
control the crowds and avoid a repeat of the dangerous overcrowded chaos
caused by the
2019 Cherry Blossom Festival.
Today's Roosevelt Island Fall For Arts Festival was not impacted at
all
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.
