Roosevelt Island Historical Society President Judy Berdy Interviewed On CB 8 Speaks - Fascinating Story Starting With The Dutch, Prisons, Poor House, Lunatic Asylum, Hospitals, Landmarks, Mae West & More

Image From CB 8 Speaks

According to the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS):

Recently, Community Board 8 member and Roosevelt Island resident Ellen Polivy interviewed Judith Berdy, President of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS). The interview is the latest in the 'CB8 Speaks' series. The online series, presented by Community Board 8, features discussions with notable community members.

In this enlightening dialogue, Ms. Berdy recounts the history of Roosevelt Island and the background of the RIHS, as well as the society's advocacy and preservation work. She describes RIHS programs and sheds light on several island landmarks, including the Octagon. Ms. Berdy also notes entertainer Mae West's brief stay in the Workhouse on Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island). Ms. Polivy and Ms. Berdy each mention their favorite Roosevelt Island buildings and Ms. Berdy shares her proudest moment as RIHS president.

Enjoy the interview.

Community Board 8 Speaks On Roosevelt Island Governance Issues - Ellen Polivy Interviews CB 8's Jeff Escobar & Larry Parnes On Unusual NY State And NY City Jurisdiction

 Image of Ms. Polivy, Mr Parnes and Mr Escobar From CB 8 Speaks

Roosevelt Island resident, Co- Chair of the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition (RICC) and Community Board 8 (CB8) member Ellen Polivy  interviewed Roosevelt Island Residents Association President (RIRA) Jeff Escobar and Community Board 8 member Larry Parnes on Roosevelt Island governance issues. Mr Escobar and Mr. Parnes are also Co-Chairs of CB 8's Roosevelt Island Committee.

Here's Ms. Polivy's CB 8 Speaks interview on Roosevelt Island governance with Jeff Escobar and Larry Parnes.



The CB 8 Speaks Roosevelt Island governance discussion was part 2 of the interview. Part 1 was a discussion of the Roosevelt Island Cornell NYC Tech project.

Community Board 8 Speaks On Roosevelt Island Cornell NYC Tech Project -Ellen Polivy Interviews CB 8's Jeff Escobar & Larry Parnes On ULURP, Community Benefit Agreement And Dealing With Cornell

 Image of Ms. Polivy, Mr Parnes and Mr Escobar From CB 8 Speaks

Roosevelt Island resident, Co- Chair of the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition (RICC) and Community Board 8 (CB8) member Ellen Polivy reports:

I interviewed Larry Parnes and Jeff Escobar in two segments that will air monthly for the next 2 months on all local cable networks. First show will air at 9:30 pm on thurs July 3. First topic is Cornell. Second topic is RI governance. Called "CBS Speaks",  it will be on MNN. (Manhattan neighborhood network)

The show will also be available on the CB8m.com.

Mr. Escobar, President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA), and Mr. Parnes are both members of CB 8 and were very active citizens representing the interests of Roosevelt Island residents during the various negotiations with Cornell NYC Tech.

Topics discussed during the interview included the Cornell NYC Tech Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), community benefit agreements and the strategy used by the Roosevelt Island community to organize themselves for negotiations with Cornell.

Mr. Escobar and Parnes also describe their expertise in real estate and land use matters, Mr. Escobar as an attorney and Mr. Parnes was formerly the Deputy Director of NYC Planning Commission.

Here's the full interview.



The subject of Part 2 will be Roosevelt Island governance.

Former RIRA President Polivy Renews Call To Expel Farance From Common Council - Farance Answers RIRA Critics, Accuses Main Street Wire Newspaper Of Biased, Shoddy Reporting And Criticizes RIOC President Indelicato For Procurement Criteria

As previously reported, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) May 2014 Common Council approved a resolution requesting $10 Thousand:

... in order to continue its work for the Island....

from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC).

The motion was approved by a vote of 18 in favor 1 against and 2 abstentions. RIRA Common Counsel Member Frank Farance was the lone vote against.

 Image of Frank Farance from March 3 CB 8 MTA Transportation Meeting

The RIOC Operations Advisory Committee met on May 12 and after a presentation by RIRA Vice President Sherrie Helsien, as well as former RIRA President Matt Katz (video of presentation here), approved RIRA's request for $10 thousand. The RIRA $10 Thousand funding allocation was then placed on the May 15 RIOC Board Of Directors Meeting Agenda.

Prior to the RIOC Board meeting, Mr. Farance sent an email to RIOC President Charlene Indelicato and others, including NY State Government officials, describing his objections to the RIRA $10 Thousand allocation. During the RIOC Board meeting, it was announced that the RIRA $10 Thousand allocation item was removed from the Agenda and not voted upon. RIOC did not confirm that the reason the RIRA allocation was taken off  the Agenda was the letter from Mr. Farance.

The May 24 editorial of the Main Street Wire newspaper criticized Mr. Farance for sending the letter to RIOC and NY State Government officials expressing his view opposing the $10 Thousand RIOC allocation to RIRA. According to the Main Street Wire editorial with the headline "More Politics of Destruction":

Frank Farance is at it again – or still.

With his viewpoint rejected by an 18-1 vote at the May meeting of the Residents Association’s Common Council, but in his certainty that he was right and everyone else was wrong, he set out to destroy the good works of others – and apparently succeeded.

But Farance was wrong. Wrong to play the sore loser after the vote, wrong to attack his fellow Common Council members, wrong to broadcast his attack and accusations to State officials, and wrong in his basic assumptions....

and:

... From the vantage point of a longtime observer of Farance, RIOC, and the RIRA Common Council, it now appears that Farance is expecting to leave the Island, and is quite willing to burn bridges and people on his way out the door....

Click here for the full Main Street Wire editorial.

Mr. Farance was also criticized at the June RIRA meeting by former RIRA President Ellen Polivy.  Ms. Polivy, who resigned as RIRA President after failing to expel Mr. Farance from RIRA last February, appeared at the June RIRA Meeting Public Session. Ms. Polivy accused Mr. Farance of continuing to sabotage RIRA and encouraged RIRA members to renew efforts to expel Mr. Farance from RIRA. Ms. Polivy referred to Mr. Farance as the:

Crazy Uncle 

and

Village idiot.

Here''s Ms. Polivy's full remarks during the June RIRA Public Session.



There was no reaction from the RIRA Common Council following Ms. Polivy's Public Session remarks.

Mr. Farance responds to some of his critics:

Sadly, the WIRE's reporting, editorials, journalistic standards, and ethics reach new lows. "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated", i.e., Roosevelt Island is home for me and I have no plans on leaving. It seems Dick Lutz, lacking valid arguments, short on facts, and without basis, is left with the fabrication that I'm leaving the Island. One might have expected Lutz to do some fact-checking, but that didn't happen.

The WIRE has other problems, too. Did Lutz or Briana Warsing disclose that Sherie Helstien and Matt Katz (who also spoke at the RIOC meeting) are managers at the WIRE? Certainly any credible newspaper would disclose that kind of relationship among its supervisory staff and what is being reported. My sense is that Lutz waves off these complaints with "They're All Volunteers", as he's explained his Letters policy recently. The disclosure is important because we, as readers, can have a better understanding of the perspective (a potentially biased one) in the news being reported -- whether they are volunteers or not is irrelevant to journalistic integrity. Additionally, Ms. Warsing did not disclose that her husband was one of the Common Council members who voted for the faulty RIRA proposal. Again, it is important to disclose this kind of information because readers might be concerned about journalistic conflicts of interest and bias in the WIRE's reporting: favorable and consistent with her husband's position.

While the WIRE reported that I was concerned about a fraudulent RIRA proposal, the WIRE never reported the nature of the fraud -- I'm guessing that many of the WIRE's readers would have arrived at the same concerns, too. Why didn't the WIRE, at least, report what the actual concerns of the proposal? The WIRE's staff never contacted me about my position, and it seems that the WIRE was not interested in the nature of the complaints of fraud. The WIRE seemed more concerned about supporting its tired editorial narrative about Farance, Reid, and Chirivas ... and whitewashing any unpleasant news about Friends/Staff of the WIRE.

However the NYS Attorney General had enough interest in these concerns and has started an investigation with the NYS Inspector General. I look forward to their findings.

Unfortunately, the retaliation has started again in RIRA. RIRA has a new ethics committee, Chaired by Mickey Rindler. Rindler seems more interested in having anonymous RIRA Common Council members slip in last-minute provisions in the RIRA Code Of Ethnics (which will be used to expel people from RIRA at an even quicker pace), and Rindler improperly collected votes outside of the meeting's discussion. What were those last minute provisions? In essence, those anonymous RIRA Common Council members wanted to make sure that anyone reporting RIRA misconduct outside of RIRA can be expelled. Maybe Rindler should focus more upon fixing the ethics problems within RIRA rather than looking for more reasons to expel people who report ethics concerns.

For RIOC President Indelicato, a former Westchester politician, feigns ignorance of State procurement procedures: "It was my fault, the procurement process was not right". Well when you have a 501c4 lobbying organization (RIRA) that is involved in legislation that affects your NYS Public Authority, can Indelicato tell us what the right process is for that lobbying organization to merely say "Services Rendered For Doing Good Stuff In The Past" and get money from the government? It's not just Westchester, or New York State -- I can't think of any place in the US were we'd allow this whimsical Services Rendered as a basis for legitimate government procurement. RIRA Vice President Sherie Helstien is still touting the advantages of this RIOC money: We Can Co-Mingle It With RIRA Funds. Organizations doing legitimate work don't talk this way.

Also, Indelicato is inconsistent with her procurement criteria. She can explain all the procurement hurdles for RIRA's efforts to get Air Quality monitoring for the Island, but for others (the RI Royalty) saying the magic words "Services Rendered" gets money flowing from RIOC. Certainly RIRA's proposal (as presented by another organization) would have never passed muster in its Public Purpose Grant allocations process. I seems that Indelicato, as an executive, favors the Dinosaur Brains approach towards decision-making: it's more important, in a primal way, to sniff out who is Friend and Foe and give money to your Friends, and put up roadblocks for your Foe's legitimate proposals.

Lastly, I'd like to correct the WIRE's perception that I have more power than the Governor. Nope, I don't. But Truth has more power than politicians, and that was one of the founding principles of our country.

Mr. Farance later clarified his comments regarding Mr. Rindler:

Since my letter was circulated within the Common Council, Mickey Rindler has changed his position on accepting "late" votes (he withdrew the late vote). It is exactly this kind of behavior (Mr. Rindler's) that is curbed by transparency, which Mr. Rindler opposes. Still Mr. Rindler persisted in the next Ethnics Committee meeting: he still wanted the provision (making RIRA Common Council members' actions public as a kind of "misconduct") put into the Code Of Ethics, so it would be declared misconduct for expulsion proceedings.

In essence, these rules are used to punish Common Council members who have opinions the majority does not like. If a resident (who is a RIRA member) were to do the same behavior (e.g., report to their neighbors what was heard at a Common Council meeting or RIRA committee meeting), they would not be punished. RIRA's enforcement has been selective and only against certain Common Council members.

And ditto for the Roosevelt Islander Blog: In Matt Katz's term as RIRA President, RIRA approved a policy that the RIRA agenda package could not be published, i.e., we are prohibited from sharing positions and proposed motions to our constituents until AFTER they are voted upon them. Thus, when RIRA is about to do something poor/wrong/bad, we Common Council members can get expelled from letting our neighbors know about it (so they might come to the RIRA Common Council meeting to complain in the public session). Yeah, Matt Katz's not-so-brilliant idea for quashing the minority's opinions, and making much of RIRA secret before decision-making.

Mr. Rindler makes this even worse by suggesting that people should paraphrase what someone is proposing but not reveal to our neighbors what the actual person's position/proposal/statement is. Why? Because, according to Mr. Rindler, it would allow the author of the faulty/problematic position/proposal/statement to deny that he/she said it.

Mr. Rindler has a terrible sense of ethics as it applies to RIRA practices and policies. It requires constant vigilance to keep track of these misguided and damaging ideas. The Ethics Committee, under Mr. Rindler, is not about transparency and fairness, it is about creating a framework for an express path to expulsion for Common Council members who have unpopular opinions.

I asked those mentioned by Mr. Farance if they cared to respond. None did other than Mr. Rindler who replied:

I am honored to be counted among the pantheon of civic leaders that Mr. Farance has attacked for trying their best to serve this community.

Today, Mr. Farance writes to RIOC President Indelicato expressing concern that RIOC may be reducing their financial contribution to Roosevelt Island Day.

RIRA President Jeff Escobar reports that the Common Council is currently on Summer Hiatus.

Roosevelt Island Wide Air Quality Monitoring Study With Queens College Center For The Biology Of Natural Systems Proposed By RIRA Planning Committee - May Actually Happen

Image Of Black Smoke From Transcanada Big Allis Power Plant From Eva Bosbach

Former Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy previously reported on efforts to establish air quality monitoring on Roosevelt Island. According to Ms. Polivy:

... One example of balls in the air is the idea and planning of an air monitoring project on Main Street. On our internal blog, we began talking about Cornell and their agreement to do air monitoring only on their construction site. We understand that Cornell is worried about being blamed for pollution that might not be caused by them, so therefore they only want monitoring equipment on their site. However we had a lively conversation on our list serve about general air quality concerns on the Island from the amount of pollution generated from the bridge and the electric plant and other construction around the City. Therefore I suggested that we start an ad hoc committee to study this. Ball was tossed and picked up by Howard Polivy RIOC Board member who thought this was an interesting concept. He did a small amount of research and discovered that Queens College is doing an air quality study. He threw the ball to me. I passed it along to Helen Chirivas who had expressed interest in this issue. She researched a little more and tossed it to Frank Farance who called Queens College and decided to take this idea into the Planning Committee. Now ball is with Frank Farance who is in discussion with Queens College about getting air quality equipment on Roosevelt Island and having us be a part of their Citywide study. But first money needs to be raised for the equipment. Lets see where this goes from here. Ball is still in the air. We will be watching. It’s an exciting project...

RIRA Planning Committee Chair Frank Farance adds:

There are increasing concerns about air quality with the decades long construction of Cornell, and other industrial work around us (e.g., power plant). Rather than a piecemeal approach, we (the RIRA Planning Committee) seek a coordinated strategy with appropriate data/analyses sharing such that the air quality on Roosevelt Island can be monitored and, if necessary, appropriate actions can be taken to address short-, medium-, and long-term concerns. In addition, we might find other neighborhoods (Sutton Place, Queens West, LIC/Ravenswood, Astoria, etc.) who might want to partner, collaborate, and/or support our efforts. Such a nested grid (data fusion) approach might help reduce False Negatives (air quality problems that exist, but go undetected) and False Positives (e.g., air quality problems attributed to activity on Roosevelt Island, but are in fact broader problems in our area). We expect all data to be open and shared.

I have presented this topic at RIRA meetings and there has been strong support. We are working on a plan where Queens College researchers would expand their air quality measurements to Roosevelt Island, but with a smaller grid size (better resolution) than present City-wide monitoring, and with real-time data samples (as compared to the City's two-week samples that take 6-8 weeks to analyze - not timely at all!). There are several nuts-and-bolts aspects of this plan that require further study before we can present it to RIRA for endorsement. I've contacted the research institution at Queens College and they are enthused to work with us.

As part of our air quality efforts, RIRA Planning Committee members toured the Ravenswood power plant (Big Allis) recently.

Mr. Farance shares this message he sent to Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Charlene Indelicato seeking the assistance of RIOC in conducting a comprehensive air quality monitoring program for Roosevelt Island.

Ms. Indelicato

As you are aware, the RIRA Planning Committee has been investigating air quality (AQ) monitoring for Roosevelt Island and coordinating it with the City-wide NYC community air quality survey. We have made good progress, and we need help from RIOC to support this effort, which would provide Reference Data for a Roosevelt Island survey, as calibrated with the City-wide Winter Season sample that is completing this week.

I've also spoken with Peter Krokondelas of the Cornell team and he will be contacting Andrew Winters to connect Dr. Eisl of the AQ research team at the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems at Queens College. In addition, Dr. Eisl will be coming to the Island and I'd like him to me you and other RIOC staff, and Cornell staff (if possible).

Simply, the collective WE (the Island, RIOC, Cornell, etc.) have the opportunity to do this Right: to get Reference Data, which will be calibrated City-wide, and will be the most authoritative data on air quality for our community for decades to come. I urge you and RIOC to support this effort (by granting permission to mount AQ monitors on five lamp posts), and to encourage those around us (Cornell, Hudson-Related, etc.) to be supportive of these efforts. I expect further AQ monitoring during the demolition and construction phases over the years.

Below, please find:

- RIRA Planning Committee's Efforts
- About CBNS, Follow-Up With CBNS
- What CBNS Is Willing To Do For Us
- Why This Is Important To Do NOW
- Specific Request For RIOC's Help

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you.

RIRA PLANNING COMMITTEE EFFORTS

As I reported last Monday:

"There are increasing concerns about air quality with the decades long construction of Cornell, and other industrial work around us (e.g., power plant). Rather than a piecemeal approach, we (the RIRA Planning Committee) seek a coordinated strategy with appropriate data/analyses sharing such that the air quality on Roosevelt Island can be monitored and, if necessary, appropriate actions can be taken to address short-, medium-, and long-term concerns. In addition, we might find other neighborhoods (Sutton Place, Queens West, LIC/Ravenswood, Astoria, etc.) who might want to partner, collaborate, and/or support our efforts. Such a nested grid (data fusion) approach might help reduce False Negatives (air quality problems that exist, but go undetected) and False Positives (e.g., air quality problems attributed to activity on Roosevelt Island, but are in fact broader problems in our area). We expect all data to be open and shared.

I have presented this topic at RIRA meetings and there has been strong support. We are working on a plan where Queens College researchers (Center for the Biology of Natural Systems) would expand their air quality measurements to Roosevelt Island, but with a smaller grid size (better resolution) than present City-wide monitoring, and with real-time data samples (as compared to the City's two-week samples that take 6-8 weeks to analyze). ... As part of our air quality efforts, RIRA Planning Committee members will be touring the Ravenswood power plant (Big Allis) this week."


ABOUT CBNS, FOLLOW UP WITH CBNS

I have met with Dr. Holger Eisl, the Program Director at the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems (CBNS). CBNS is on the Queens College campus and they have been conducting the City-wide air quality survey for many years. Here is the NYC.gov Department of Health page that discusses AQ, and also cites Dr. Eisl's research (see NYCCAS Scientific Publications on bottom of page):

The CBNS describes their City-wide work on their project home page:

Steve Markowitz (MD DrPH), the Director, is a physician specializing in occupational and environmental medicine. Here is a sampling of his lectures:

I note that CBNS is also doing saturation monitoring at the 126 Street Bus Depot in Harlem to measure before/after affects of the green technologies being incorporated into the bus fleet.

WHAT CBNS IS WILLING TO DO FOR US

Dr. Eisl is willing to do a Reference Data survey immediately on Roosevelt Island. There would be five sampling points with the following approximate locations:

(1) Southpoint Park transverse road (approx. equivalent to 53 Street in Manhattan)
(2) Sportspark transverse road (approx. 59 Street)
(3) Blackwell House turnaround (approx. 65 Street)
(4) Helix Base (approx. 72 Street)
(5) Octagon Park (approx. 79 Street)

Dr. Eisl can also do a simultaneous Noise survey at these points.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO DO NOW

Having Reference Data before demolition and construction start is critical for comparative study for decades to come. The Cornell demolition has not yet started, nor has Cornell yet hired an oversight manager at RIOC, so it is important to get the AQ survey done right now. It addition, CBNS is completing their City-wide Winter Survey this week, so the data can be tied-to/calibrated-with this City-wide data.


SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR RIOC'S HELP

CBNS would need to mount AQ sensors on five light poles, and they need RIOC's permission to do this.

Yesterday, I asked Ms. Indelicato about the status of this air quality study project proposal. Ms Indelicato replied:

We need to get all the information as to locations, installation, insurance, power source, maintenance etc before we say yes or no- I believe the Queens College people are meeting with engineering and IT

Mr. Farance discussed the Air Quality Monitoring Project



at the February 5 RIRA Common Council Meeting.

Report From Cornell NYC Tech Vice President Cathy Dove - Reviews Roosevelt Island Town Hall Meeting And Thanks Former RIRA President Ellen Polivy As Tireless Advocate For Community

Cornell NYC Tech VP Cathy Dove Introducing Feb 5 Roosevelt Island Construction Town Hall Meeting

Cornell NYC Tech Vice President Cathy Dove sends this report to the Roosevelt Island community.

Many thanks to everyone who braved this crazy winter weather to join us at the Cornell Tech town hall meeting earlier this month. Despite the slush and bitter cold, more than 125 Islanders came out to hear the latest progress on campus construction and to take part in a great discussion. We were also honored to be joined by our new Council Member, Ben Kallos, and Deputy Borough President Aldrin Bonilla.

This week’s column is devoted to recapping the town hall, but first, I would like to acknowledge and thank Ellen Polivy as she steps down from the Roosevelt Island Residents Association. For more than two years now, Ellen has been a constructive critic and tireless advocate for Islanders, helping us understand what is important to her neighbors. She has always acted in the best interests of the community, while working with us constructively and collaboratively to ensure our campus will be an asset to the Island. We will miss Ellen in her role at RIRA, but are grateful that she will continue to be an active member of the Cornell Tech Construction and Community Task Force.

The town hall meeting was held on February 5th and was co-hosted by the Construction and Community Task Force, which was instrumental in putting together what proved to be a very productive and engaging agenda for the meeting. The task force is a critically important group, providing advice for our team, a forum for keeping the community updated and a group of knowledgeable citizens to raise questions in real time.

Our team made three presentations at the town hall. The first was given by Andrew Winters, Cornell Tech’s Director of Capital Projects and Planning. Andrew is overseeing the campus construction and he gave a broad overview of the project phasing, timeline and design, noting the arrival of the first barge on January 21. He reminded everyone that we are committed to using barges for all aspects of the demolition and abatement phase, which is scheduled to go for almost a year. He also described the fencing around the site and the need to close the eastern roadway and promenade in order to ensure the barging operation is conducted safely. In the near future, the western roadway will be turned into a two-way street, with a turn-around at the end to accommodate vehicular access to Southpoint and Four Freedoms parks. Finally, Andrew filled everyone in on the water main break that occurred on the campus site. A team focused on doing test borings hit an active water line. Residents’ water was never polluted nor compromised, but the incident has led us to revise our drilling procedures and also revisit procedures with RIOC to get immediate and clear information out to the community.

Aric Domozick of PAL Environmental Services then gave a detailed presentation on the work his company is overseeing related to the abatement and demolition of Goldwater Hospital. Aric stressed the focus on safety that his company and the entire Cornell Tech team are bringing to the project, beginning with the abatement but continuing throughout the project. He also described the sequence and approach to demolition.

Then Karen Tamir, our landscape architect from James Corner Field Operations (the group who designed the High Line among many other outstanding projects), gave a quick update on the exciting open space plans for the campus. While these plans are not yet final, Karen and her team are designing a unique set of urban public spaces that will be open to the community, populated with native species of beautiful plants, and take advantage of the spectacular views. This is one of the most exciting aspects of the campus and we look forward to sharing final designs soon.

The last half of the meeting was an opportunity for Islanders to ask questions, provide input and hear directly from the Cornell Tech team. As always, there was a terrific energy and enthusiasm in the room and we appreciate everyone’s participation. I hope that the town hall was informative and helpful to those who attended, and I look forward to seeing even more people at the next town hall meeting later this year. In the meantime, all of the latest information on the campus and the construction process is available on our website at construction.tech.cornell.edu. Stay warm and dry! 

Here is the full video of the February 5 Cornell NYC Tech Roosevelt Island Town Hall Meeting.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Air Quality, Tram Elevator, Amalgamated Bank Mortgage Seminar, Experts List, RIRA Non Profit Compliance and Code Of Ethics

Image Of Black Smoke From Transcanada Big Allis Power Plant From Eva Bosbach

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

The Non Profit Revitalization Act of 2013

Effective July 1, the Act mandates every nonprofit to adopt a conflict of interest policy to ensure action in the nonprofit’s best interest. This provision applies to all NYS nonprofits. Among other things, the Act requires that the conflict of interest policy include the following: (1) a definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest; (2) procedures for disclosing a conflict of interest; (3) a prohibition against any attempt by the person with the conflict of interest to influence improperly the deliberation or voting on the matter giving rise to such conflict; and (4) a requirement that the existence and resolution of the conflict be documented in the nonprofit’s records, including the minutes of any meeting at which the conflict was discussed or voted upon. RIRA is acting to have an explicit policy adopted as necessary.


Code of Ethical Conduct

The ad hoc Ethics Committee has reviewed codes of ethical conduct from a variety of organizations and come up with a suggested code. The core issue is how we treat each other. We will be holding a public meeting on Thursday February 20 at 8pm to get public comment. Then at the March RIRA meeting, it will be voted on. Watch for more information. I believe that as a non-governing body, we are essentially an advocacy organization. We must first decide what we are going to advocate for, how we will do it and then speak with one voice. If we cannot do that cooperatively, then we become a clamor of competing voices and no one knows what we as a group stand for or will care to listen to us.


Balls in the air

The Super Bowl is a great example of teamwork. Each player does what he can at the moment where it can do the most good and try not to go crashing into another team member. On Roosevelt Island we are all on the same team since we all want our community to run smoothly and support our residents. I like to treat members of RIOC as our teammates. With this attitude, we all work together to get the ball to the goal.


Planning Committee

One example of balls in the air is the idea and planning of an air monitoring project on Main Street. On our internal blog, we began talking about Cornell and their agreement to do air monitoring only on their construction site. We understand that Cornell is worried about being blamed for pollution that might not be caused by them, so therefore they only want monitoring equipment on their site. However we had a lively conversation on our list serve about general air quality concerns on the Island from the amount of pollution generated from the bridge and the electric plant and other construction around the City. Therefore I suggested that we start an ad hoc committee to study this. Ball was tossed and picked up by Howard Polivy RIOC Board member who thought this was an interesting concept. He did a small amount of research and discovered that Queens College is doing an air quality study. He threw the ball to me. I passed it along to Helen Chirivas who had expressed interest in this issue. She researched a little more and tossed it to Frank Farance who called Queens College and decided to take this idea into the Planning Committee. Now ball is with Frank Farance who is in discussion with Queens College about getting air quality equipment on Roosevelt Island and having us be a part of their Citywide study. But first money needs to be raised for the equipment. Lets see where this goes from here. Ball is still in the air. We will be watching. It’s an exciting project.


Island Services

The committee has been advocating to fix the tram elevator. RIOC has acted on this problem.The elevator upgrade will take around a year and in the mean time RIOC plans to expedite fixing the broken elevator and is trying to avoid the freezing problem that was causing it to break in the first place.

Aaron Hamburger and Frank Farance have been talking with Cy Opperman at RIOC on certain bus related issues. On April 1, there will be no fares on the red bus, but the street parking fees will double to make up for lost revenue.


Housing Committee arranged a mortgage seminar

On Wednesday February 26, 7pm at the bank, Amalgamated Bank will be providing a mortgage seminar for residential housing.


Experts List Outreach

The experts list, an initiative of the government relations committee, is a panel of residents who have attained the highest levels in their chosen fields and who have agreed to make themselves available pro bono mostly to help address specific ad hoc questions and issues. I hope that by compiling such a list it will become easier for the community to seek answers and develop collaborative strategies with other interested parties such as RIOC and elected officials who might want to run questions and ideas by specialists in fields about generally accepted principles. We need anyone with a little time and energy to volunteer their expertise on issues they really care about. It could be you. We need people with all sorts of expertise who understand engineering, architecture, information systems. We need organizers, artists, designers technicians, educators, attorneys, psychologists, social workers, scientists. We hope by developing a panel of experts and interested volunteers ready to step in for particular issues and interests that we should speed the process of aiding and helping to build our community. You would help amplify and improve RIRA’s and perhaps RIOC’s ability to develop plans and responses to evolving issues.

Some concerns we face are land-use and facility development issues. For example the Motorgate arcade is a large space which could be put to good use. Another example might be to propose utilization of the old tram cars. Uses evolve, and there are fields and parks to be considered. Finally without regard to specific projects it would be wonderful if your expertise could help build an overall strategic plan could be developed to carry Roosevelt Island forward further into the 21st century.

Youth mentoring may be an important component and an opportunity for all sorts of people in the community to spend a little time to work with their neighbors, and maybe aid someone in need of occasional help and some information.

You can certainly help in your field of interests and also provide services in the community. For example, during the Cornell ULURP year we needed engineers, scientists, construction experts to read various chapters of an 800 page draft environmental impact study and give their comments. We were fortunate to have the benefit of some scientists, engineers, a City planner and attorneys to read the relevant sections. But we could have used more. People move in and out of volunteer work and we need an easy way to reach experts as we need them. If you are willing to periodically give us the benefit of your knowledge, please email your interest to RIRApresident@gmail.com with the subject line Experts List. Also, you may attend one of RIRA’s ongoing committees. We will be asking RIOC and the elected officials how they could use occasional expert input and will be developing a template for each expert to complete. But first we need more members on our government relations committee. If you would like to help us develop the questionnaire for this experts list, please join the government relations committee.


Thank you for your time and again thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the community.

This is Ms. Polivy's final RIRA President's Report after resigning last week from RIRA.

Ms. Polivy has accomplished many positive things for the Roosevelt Island community on RIRA, should be proud of that work and thanked for her contributions to the community.

Circus At Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Last Night - Expulsion Motion Fails, Attempt To Kick Out Press Fails, RIRA President And Several Others Resign

An update to last night's Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council meeting

 Image Of February RIRA Common Council Meeting

agenda item on expelling member Frank Farance. As reported following the meeting:

... At almost 11 PM tonight, the RIRA Common Council voted to indefinitely postpone the motion to expel Mr. Farance. The vote effectively puts a stop to this draining and unproductive nonsense. Unfortunately, after the vote, several supporters of the motion to expel Mr. Farance, including RIRA President Polivy, said they are resigning from RIRA.

Prior to the expulsion motion being heard, supporters of the motion attempted to have the discussion conducted in Executive Session, meaning it would be in secret, closed to the public and the press. I strenuously objected to having the public and myself kicked out of the meeting as did many RIRA members. A vote was taken that rejected the motion to go into executive session.

The Circus was certainly here on Roosevelt Island tonight...

Here's what happened.

RIRA President Ellen Polivy and Secretary Joyce Short attempted to have the expulsion discussion of Mr. Farance held in Executive Session without a vote of the Common Council. They went as far as to instruct a Public Safety Officer to remove me from the room. However, the majority of RIRA voted to reject having the discussion in secret and I was allowed to remain.



A motion was then made to indefinitely postpone the motion to expel Mr. Farance



which was approved



by the majority of the Common Council.

Following the vote, Ms. Polivy gave her President's report announcing her resignation from RIRA.



and several other RIRA members resigned as well.

Ms. Polivy sent this statement today:

This past month I had a death in the family. My mother was 90 years old. Her funeral lasted over an hour and a half because so many people wanted to speak. It could have gone on far longer but we had to leave the room. I was struck with how many people had been personally and privately touched so deeply by her caring. Each speaker had a different story but common theme. They each felt acknowledged, special and unique because of years of interactions. This is an impact of a life well lived whether by a 90 year old frail woman or a 20 year old young man who freely gave out hugs and a listening ear. Most of us thrive on this kind of humanity.

I want to publicly thank all the people who supported my family and me during the last few weeks. We really appreciated all the love and attention. This is what makes a wonderful community.

For a year and 4 months I have given my all to this community as the President of RIRA. With the help of many on the Council, I have tried to set up the conditions that encourage love and support of the people around us, experiences that makes for a happy living environment. I have forged good working relationships with RIOC and the board and have been able to quietly and without fanfare get things done.

For personal reasons, my available time just got tighter. Regrettably, I am unable to continue in my present role as RIRA President. I am therefore resigning immediately.

I thank you for giving me opportunity to serve the community as RIRA President. I plan to continue my other work in the community. I thank my fellow RIRA members for their commitment and hard work and I will do whatever I can to help in the future.

Respectfully, Ellen Polivy

Mr. Farance sent this statement today:

Last night's outcome was a victory in the ongoing battle for openness, fairness, transparency, and the whole community's interests ... versus the closed, secretive, and unfair tactics advocated by an inner circle. Even to the very end Ms. Polivy was disingenuously asking for Executive Session purportedly for the purpose "we don't want to do to Frank in public what he has done to us".

Ms. Polivy has used her RIRA Column to advocate in public against me, so this was yet another ruse for tactics that they were attempting outside scrutiny of the press and public.

As for the Cherry Blossom Festival and its finances, this could have all be solved had Ms. Strong-Shinozaki and the RIRA SCE committee answered questions forthcomingly and honestly, but it became a cat-and-mouse game of hunting for facts. Even with RIRA Auditor Geof Kerr's interim report, it's clear the original SCE report that caused the hullabaloo is now discredited and was worthy of questioning -- as I did at the time.

Ms. Short and Ms. Strong-Shinozaki complain of "cyberbullying" (which just means someone disagrees with them), but meanwhile Ms. Polivy is threatening to Ruin On This Island member Susan Marcus because she voted opposite Ms. Polivy's liking.

And speaking of double standards, the Ethics Committee was completely reformulated because, as Sharon Pope reported, its original incarnation, with secret meetings done in Executive Session by improperly appointed members, was created to target one or two members of RIRA (me and possibly someone else). Hopefully, RIRA can look forward to getting back to the real business of addressing the needs of the residents.

It's very sad that RIRA has imploded from within because of the inability of some members to work out their differences in a civil, respectful and professional manner.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Goldwater Hospital Demolition And Construction Of Cornell NYC Tech Campus Begins, RIRA Member Expulsion Motion Continues And $700 Donation For Hurricane Sandy Relief

Image Of Ms. Polivy (Standing) Speaking At October 2, 2012 RICC Meeting

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

Motions Passed at last RIRA meeting

1.A motion passed to donate $700 to the hurricane relief organization “you are Never Alone”. We on Roosevelt Island are fortunate that we got off easy in Hurricane Sandy.

2. A motion passed to postpone the expulsion vote to the February meeting as the parliamentary maneuvering and financial discussions that needed to happen took too long. During the preceding month, I consulted with a respected parliamentarian and attorney to get further clarity about our constitution and rules of order. I learned that the prior motion to remove the item from the agenda was unconstitutional as the RIRA Constitution is very specific on how the expulsion process is to proceed. According to the Constitution, the expulsion is a two-part process. On month one, the Bill of Particulars is presented. In month two, the Bill of Particulars is refuted by the accused and then a discussion and vote is taken. A motion to table to a date after the RIRA term is over was declared equally out of order. Two Council members quit in protest.

Cornell construction and RICC

Judy Buck, my newly elected Co-chair on the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition has asked me to add this update:

As 2014 begins, so does the life-changing construction of the Cornell complex on Roosevelt Island. In order to make this transition as painless, and as scrupulous, as possible, RICC renews its pledge to advocate for the community and its organizations.

RICC will work to hold Cornell responsible for its written and verbal promises to our community (most of which came from RICC's term sheet), to hear and address members' concerns, (including new concerns), and to stay connected to elected City officials, RIOC, and Cornell Community representatives, when appropriate.

At the moment, we're working on ideas that include a here-and-now term sheet that reflects the needs of all of us, including disabled, children and seniors. And we're identifying ways to bring home some of the tax money the City receive from Cornell co-locations.

Construction Starts Now

The first phase of construction, the demolition of Goldwater Hospital, is planned for mid-January 2014. We urge you to follow the construction process, so that Cornell, RIOC and NYC know that Roosevelt Island is present, alert, and watching.

RIOC urges residents to express questions and concerns directly to Cornell, then to copy them to RIOC on the RIOC website so that they can follow up with Cornell.

CORNELL WEBSITES TO CONTACT

For ongoing information about construction:

Tech.cornell.edu/construction

To express your questions and concerns:

http://construction.tech.cornell.edu/contact/

The Demolition Process:

Goldwater debris will be removed via barges anchored off the seawall on the east side of the river. Some details (such as continuity of Red Bus to Four Freedoms Park) to be worked out, but RIOC has control over process. Bulk materials will be loaded into 40-foot containers for barging, each barge to transport 40 containers, saving 40 truck trips; 2) asbestos to be removed by hand, as required, into special containers for barging; and 3) demolition of structures will occur from south to north.

The East Road will close temporarily, limiting scope of " the Loop." At a later point, the West Road will close, leaving East Road open. Cornell will reconstruct the Loop, and pedestrian access will remain. Metered street parking is planned (possibly limited; to be worked out). Cornell will protect their site, including guard booths, barrier fence, roadway barriers, and air quality monitors. RIOC will ensure Public Safety presence and has an independent engineer for oversight.

How RICC Helped

RIOC negotiated an extremely complex deal, and this is a significant victory. It is also a win for RICC. When Charlene Indelicato took office as RIOC president, the RICC board provided her with a detailed list of all community issues, a history of each request, and a priority list, for which Ms. Indelicato thanked us. When negotiations got under way, she hit the ground running.

Ongoing Cornell Connections

Cornell will keep us updated as they continue the approval processes at the design commission and during demolition and construction.

Town Hall Meetings. Cornell has planned a series of presentations on the Island to show residents plans for each phase of construction. All are invited.

The Cornell-Tech Construction Task Force. Originally proposed by RICC, this committee was reshaped by Cornell and New York City. It was created to ensure that Cornell meet commitments made during the ULURP process. The public and press may attend meetings, but may not speak. Minutes from the first meeting are posted on the Cornell website: Tech.cornell.edu/construction.

CB8 Roosevelt Island Committee. Community Board 8 has designated a Roosevelt Island Committee to review Cornell design and construction plans. Committee votes on whether or not designs will be passed on for review by full CB8 board.

The Community Needs you to attend this meeting!

Numbers count! Please "blast" your members and friends. A sea of faces sends a powerful, public message!

February 5th (Wednesday) Cornell Town Hall Presentation
Manhattan Park Theatre Club, 8 River Road 6-8 PM

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Community Communications, Elementary TV Crew Donates $2500 To RIRA, CERT Search For Missing Teen, Seeking Boy/Girl Scout Leaders & Women's Health Initiatives

 Image Of Elementary TV Show With Lucy Liu Filming On Roosevelt Island Bridge

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

I am aware of Frank Farance's recent blog post. He had many things to say but one thing he said is important and true: RIRA delegates need to be responsive to their constituents. I would like to elaborate on that theme of responsiveness.

How do we know what our constituents want? What is important to them?

My candidate’s platform focused on the setting up of a way to easily and quickly reach out to the residents of the island for the purposes of eliciting viewpoints, lobbying elected and appointed officials and reaching out to neighbors in need. We have been putting our agendas on line and our minutes and meeting notes. We have set up a Facebook page and have provided the community with a way to contact us on RIRAonline.com. We have handed out questionnaires at many events.

CBS gives our team $2,500.

On Tuesday October 15, drivers found themselves snarled in traffic on Main Street on the way up the helix ramp and over the bridge. The cause was an all day lane closure during a TV shoot for the CBS television show “Elementary”. The CBS Assistant Location Manager Rob Herling was very responsive to our RIRA team effort of asking that our community be compensated for our inconvenience. He immediately contacted his Location Manager David Chambers who gave the final approval on the donation. CBS was very cooperative and moved the process along very quickly. Location shoots are a fabulous example of good teamwork. RIRA is expecting a check for $2,500 that we will use to benefit our residents. We really appreciate the assistance.

The RIRA teamwork that helped us ask for the donation is worth mentioning. The simple efforts of five people at RIRA allowed us to be in a position to ask for the money. Former RIRA president Matthew Katz noticed the RIOC lane closure announcement and alerted me of the shoot. With the guidance of Christina Delfico (IDig2Learn) who is a TV producer and Island resident I created a letter of introduction and request. I sent out a request for a volunteer to physically go to the location as I was unable to get there. RIRA member Steve Heller volunteered immediately and within the hour delivered my letter to the location manager who called me almost immediately and told me what I needed to do. I followed his directions and Russell Fields our treasurer followed up. Thank you everyone who helped and a big “Ben Hug” of appreciation to CBS show “Elementary”.

CERT search effort

Another team effort occurred on October 18. OEM deployed the Community Emergency Response Team to search for Avonte Oquendo the missing autistic teen. In less than an hour after a directed request we had gathered 16 people from a combination of CERT, CERT trainees and RIRA to search for Avonte. OEM called for this deployment and Director McManus briefed us on the specifics of the search. We broke up into three search parties to scan the seawall area at low tide. Two public safety officers (Torrens and Yee) went with us. The two groups who went with the officers said they were attentive and professional. Some of the RIRA members who had earlier in the year challenged these public safety officers were nicely working shoulder to shoulder in peaceful collaboration to a common goal: Searching for a disabled and at-risk teenager missing for two weeks. This goes to show that in different circumstances people show up in different ways. I commend Jack McManus for the professional manner in which he briefed us, set up communications, sent us out in groups and used available public safety officers to work with us. This search effort may have never had much more than a slim chance of success but it was one more way for different elements of our community to experience working collaboratively. “Ben Hugs” to Jack McManus, Officer Torrens and Yee and the CERT, CERT class and RIRA who made the search possible on Roosevelt Island. We wish Avonte’s family, friends and school peace at this difficult time.

The people who made themselves available with a half hour notice were Philipp Mirow, Vicki Feinmel, Susan Marcus, Gwendolyn Ryals,Gary Bunie, Joyce Mincheff, joward Polivy, Russell Fields, Margie Smith, Ellen Polivy, Betty Godwin, Helen Chirivas, Karine Wong, Scot Bobo. Many more said they would have come with the right timing.

RIRA/RIOC relations

I believe that RIRA and RIOC should create a cooperative working relationship because that is the easiest way to get things done. RIRA exists as a sounding board for community concerns. Bring your concerns to us, or loop us in when you have direct discussions with RIOC. RIRA will try to balance your perspective with your neighbors’ viewpoints, and then work to make change happen.

Volunteers needed for Boy Scout Girl Scouts and more

I read with disappointment in the September WIRE that Geoff Kerr is retiring and there will be no more Boy Scout troop. I was heartened by RIOC Director Margie Smith’s response in the following WIRE that had RIOC been contacted, they would have found a space for them. There never was a girl scout troop. Many of us remember fondly the fun of Scouting days. Would anyone consider becoming a scout leader? Let me know. RIRA will work with RIOC to find space.

I urge everyone who wants to change things to the positive, join a committee and be a good team member. RIRA is planning a series of events that celebrate Island artists. Join the Social Cultural and Educational committee and help make this happen. Everyone has alternate time commitments. I myself have my own very busy work and personal life. However, when you make a decision to join the team, time expands to fit the work.

The Roosevelt Island Women’s Health Organization

I recently got the schedule for the year from RIWHO. Their offerings look great. Their monthly seminars are not just educational but they are fun. Women get together to eat, learn and talk, the perfect combination. The RIWHO mission is to empower women to be attentive to their health and to create habits that lead to a healthy life style. Each meeting include training in meditation, good nutrition and then a special health topic of the day. Topics include weight loss and surgery, recipes for healthy food preparation, tips on being a natural beauty, keeping young and fit, how not to abuse prescription drugs, disposal of prescription medication, stress relief, homeopathic remedies, folk remedies and more, Mark your calendar for Wednesdays October 23, November 20, December 18, January 29, February 28, March 26, Aril 30. What looks like the most fun is their “spa” day in May and a “boat ride” in June. Watch the WIRE and the kiosks for more specifics. Hope to see you there. I hope you don’t get tired of me giving “Ben Hugs”, but so many people deserve it. “Ben hugs” to Laila Amatullah for founding this important organization and to her working board of directors who keep the organization going; Mary Coleman, Elaine Belton, Sheryl Glenn, Marilyn Atkins, Barbara Parker, Eileen Sheehy, Wendy Hersh, and Andy Reddick.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Life And Death, Passings Of Construction Adviser Adek Apfelbaum, Young Ben Imbrogno And Building Our Community

Adek Apfelbaum Testimony To 2/6/13 NYC Planning Commission on Cornell NYC Tech Project

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

In this column I am focusing on the theme of building our community. I focus on two people recently departed who made a difference here and the wonderful fairs and performances and celebrations that bring our neighbors together. All these gatherings create an active engaged community.

In last month’s column I wrote that Roosevelt Islanders started hugging to celebrate the memory of the young island resident Ben Imbrogno who died at the way too young age of 21. At his memorial this past Saturday strikingly similar speeches were given by each person who remembered Ben. Each gave their version of how it felt to get a hug from him and to feel truly accepted for themselves. Ben gave love and elicited love from everyone he knew.

Image Of Ben Imbrogno

The apt quote on his memorial program was from Henry David Thoreau. “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought and attended to my answer.”

The mother of one of Ben’s friends remembered when her son met Ben. He was the new kid in school. Ben immediately embraced him in a big hug, a greeting and friendship. He knew every day would start with one of Ben’s hugs.

What stood out for me was that despite his struggles with learning difficulties in an achievement oriented world, Ben was able to focus on the gift that he did have which was his ability to be really present, to listen and to respond as a warm human being.

That gift came from a young man who was unable to achieve what most young people feel are the important things in life. Success in school. His lasting gift to all who knew him is that he changed the way they view what is important. Perhaps it was his struggles that gave him the precocious insight that school or financial success is not what matters. Perhaps it was the unconditional love of his parents that gave him the self esteem to keep putting himself out for people. Regardless of the reasons, the lesson he taught us is that how we treat each other is the key to success.

The number of hugs given in honor of Ben Imbrogno were 1,546. Keep it up! I would like to see the Ben hugs become the traditional count at each RIRA event. If you are willing to play along, I will be happy to report on the number of hugs that were given in the next two weeks and in any column thereafter where I get a cumulative count. We need to make our world a kinder and gentler place.

In memorium

The Roosevelt Island Community Coalition is saddened by the passing of Adek Apfelbaum, our construction advisor. He was a powerful help in dealing with Cornell and advising us on what we should be asking for. We will miss his kind and gentle manner and his steely will in fighting for the protection of his community. His son Randy, also a construction cost engineer, has generously offered to continue his father’s legacy of advice to the community.

We already miss Adek. We are deeply grateful to his son for continuing his work.

How wonderful it is to be on Roosevelt Island where people see the need, have the expertise, and step up. It is an even greater gift when their children see the need and continue that help.

Fall For Arts

The Fall for Arts festival, sponsored by RIOC, was a wonderful day in Southpoint Park. The activites were scattered around the lawn and the paths showing off the best parts of the park. I loved walking aroundwatching the children and parents participate in the many art activities.

The activities at the park were mostly geared to children but many could be enjoyed by all. Tables were set up by local community groups and artists to allow participants to experience different art forms. I stood on line at the candy sculpture and watched two artists create the Chinese art form making crispy delicate delicious dragons on a stick out of dripped molton sugar. It was both beautiful and fascinating watching an artist create whimsical characters out of such a simple substance. RIVAA gave a pastel class in their gallery and other artists created the large murals that we will see beautifying the lawn on the south side of Rivercross and perhaps eventually being moved to Motorgate for a permanent display.

Creating a sense of community

What makes our community so full of life? It is the participation of the residents in the multitude of activities that exist here.

RIOC, to its credit brings the community together in the many annual fairs and programs it sponsors. We have movies in the park summer, Fall for arts in Autumn, It joins Urban America in sponsoring Roosevelt Island Day and the Halloween parade and festival, The Christmas tree lighting festival happens when the snow might be falling. Other groups jump in and sponsor other annual events that draw crowds. The Menorah Lighting event is sponsored by Roosevelt Island Chabad with jelly donuts and cider for all. RIRA has begun sponsoring an annual Easter Egg Hunt and Cherry Blossom Festival.

Moving on to the regularly scheduled events that are open to all. RIRA has a monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of each month at 8pm at the Good Shepherd Community Center. The first Sunday of each month is a fabulous jazz ensemble at the Gallery RIVAA with dancing and food. RIOC has a monthly meeting and monthly committee meetings. Toastmasters meets twice a month.

For women only, there is a monthly womens movie group. Women watch a film that focuses on theme about a women’s issue. Afterwards is a discussion ably facilitated by a psychotherapist. The Roosevelt Island women’s health organization has monthly meetings that bring women together to discuss how to improve their physical well being. Healthy food is served at both these events. These two groups give women a chance to interact and get to know one another.

Sponsored by RIRA, the cherry blossom festival and the Easter Egg Hunt and the RIRA showcases which emphasize the talents of our residents.

The Main Street Theater and Dance Alliance provides quality entertainment.

The R &R concert series brings us quality music in memory of Rosemarie and Robin Russell who used to run the music school and bring musicians to Roosevelt Island to entertain.

Last but not least, the WIRE and this blog and the kiosks are the three important communications outlets on the Island. Without each of them the ability to reach out to the community would be severely limited. RIRAonline.com is becoming a tool as well with our RIRA committee meetings and events being posted.

The biggest way to feel a sense of community it to get involved and volunteer to help create any of these wonderful events. Many people are needed to produce every activity. One of them could be you. Please choose something and get involved. The activities are listed in the WIRE under coming events or you can email me or contact us at our website RIRAonline.com and ask how to get involved in a particular organization. We will put you in touch with the right person.

The Korean Association offers the gift of a Pavillion

Southpoint park has lots of lovely nooks and crannies and is a fun place to amble. It is lacking several things. One is running water and real bathrooms. The other is a covered structure. The Korean Association has generously offered to gift the park a beautiful pavilion in the shape of pavilions in use all over Korea. Such traditional structures have been shown to be sturdy and maintenance free structures that withstand the elements. They provide covered seating areas and open space for relaxing and socializing. At our last RIRA meeting the Common Council agreed to support the concept of a Pavillion in Southpoint park. It is now up to RIOC real estate committee and the engineers to evaluate the form and structure of the Korean design and determine whether it is a structure that could be placed somewhere in the park. They will also determine whether and where there is a place for it in the park.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Hugs For Ben, Good Bye To Former CFO Steve Chironis, Ferry Service, Public Advocate Runoff Questions, Land Use Deliberations & More

East River Ferry Trip From Long Island City To Greenpoint

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

Roosevelt Islanders are hugging

Something wonderful is happening on our island. A hugging project has been started by friends of Benjamin Imbrogno who passed away this summer. He was only 21. Lynne Shinozaki writes “In memory of Ben we are collecting BEN-HUGS. Ben was a young man who was always generous with his hugs, something we all loved about him.” For his memorial on Saturday October 5, we are asking everyone to honor this young man whose life ended too soon. Please start HUGGING. Count the hugs and let Lynne know the number by October 4. You can contact her through the RIRAonline.com website. Click on the “RIRA” button and then click on “Council”. You will see the list of all council members. You can then send a note to Lynne with your hug count.

I wasn’t lucky enough to know Ben, but I wish I had. I was moved to ask people about him. Friends and family described him as a loving and generous young man who really cared about people. His happy greetings made friends and strangers feel important and acknowledged - a young man who made a difference to everyone around him.

So Roosevelt Islanders, start hugging today. We are hoping that hugging becomes a habit.

Another loss to the Island.

Steve Chironis, RIOC’s Chief Financial Officer resigned last month. His departure is a big loss to the residents. Steve helped us in so many ways. He went beyond his strict job description and became a part of the community helping with youth and sports and supporting RIRA functions. Since he was here six years, he had the institutional memory that none of the present leadership has, knows what was tried and what worked and what didn’t. He will be missed.

Your vote counts for the Public Advocate runoff

October 1 is the runoffs for Public Advocate between Letitia James and Daniel Squadron. The turnout is expected to be sparse. Each and every vote really counts! If you are a Democrat, do Roosevelt Island a favor and vote. Elected officials pay attention to the locations that get out the votes. The people who vote are considered the base and treated very respectfully.

RIRA’s government relations committee has tried unsuccessfully to get the two candidates to have a debate on Roosevelt Island. But apparently Roosevelt Island is considered small. Can you imagine that? We need to change that perception. We may be small, but we vote.

On August 27, RIRA held a candidates night in which we asked candidates a set of questions that were intended to help each candidate understand and consider answers to our unique challenges. I have sent both Letitia James and Daniel Squadron’s campaigns the questions and asked for a written response. I will post the responses on the RIRAonline.com website. So far, no responses.

Questions to candidates

Affordable Housing - The new Roosevelt Island residential developments are all luxury rentals or condos. Even the "affordable housing" component of these buildings are made up of apartments only for hospital personnel at Cornell Weill and Memorial Sloan Kettering and not available to the general public. Within a few years Roosevelt Island’s earliest buildings will all have left the Mitchell Lama program. What will the candidates do to preserve affordable housing on Roosevelt Island?

Roosevelt Island was designed to be wheelchair accessible. One formerly Mitchell-Lama building, Roosevelt Landings, has a floor of accessible apartments enabling quadriplegic residents to live in the community. Former Goldwater patients have lived in these apartments for years on portable respirators, hospital gurneys and electric wheelchairs. A community doctor and nurse visit them as needed. This concept became a national model for mainstreaming handicapped people back into the community. In this now privatized building, rents are in the process of increasing to market level when existing tenants leave. The result: new handicapped tenants will no longer be able to afford to live in that building, and will have fewer options for living in on Roosevelt Island. What can we do to bring in subsidies so that disabled people can continue to live in our community? Today, when the national focus is on community treatment of very handicapped people, it would be an embarrassment for Roosevelt Island, once a model for mainstreaming, to regress.

Cornell - The Cornell campus is going to have a significant impact on the island, both during construction and once classes begin. Here are some questions we need answered:

-How do you make sure that Cornell will act as a good neighbor, protecting the needs of existing island residents and giving back to the local community? One of the hot button issues for the RI community is barging construction materials. Will you make sure your staff is aware of this issue so you can work with our community.

-How will you help enforce the agreements that are in the lease Cornell NYC Tech has negotiated with New York City?

-Cornell will be using Roosevelt Island resources but has yet to agree to pay any money to help with their share of costs of running the Island. What ideas do you have for ensuring that either Cornell pays or New York City returns to the Island enough resources from the PILOTs of the collocated businesses to pay for their share of the maintenance?

Transportation

Roosevelt Islanders want ferry service. We feel strongly that a stop on the East River Ferry will be good for our community and tourists – who are increasingly discovering the Tram – will love it. Will you support this needed service?

Ben Kallos meet and greet

Ben Kallos candidate for City Council for Jessica Lappin’s seat will be doing a meet-and-greet with donations optional on Tuesday October 15 from 7 to 9 at Riverwalk Café. Come meet him and tell him what is important to you. I am sending him the same set of questions and hope he will answer them in writing.

NEXT RIRA MEETING: Land use deliberations

At our September Common Council meeting we heard three presentations about use of land in the city and on the Island.

Island Shakespeare would like to renovate a pier to bring their creative theater productions to Roosevelt Island

The Korean Association presented a very compelling gazebo design for Southpoint Park with a view of the United Nations.

The United Nations Development Corporation made a presentation on a office building they would like to build next to the United Nations Secretariat building. It requires purchase of a section of a city park but, if deal is approved, will result in among other things, completion of a section of the Greenway along the East River.

To achieve major change in the city takes deals, major cooperation of lots of groups and the inconvenience of many individuals. Sometime in the near or distant future, we will have a Second Avenue Subway, a beautiful Greenway along the river, AND we will have a ferry stop on Roosevelt Island. All good things to look forward to!

Please join us on October 2.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Looking Back At Past Accomplishments, Moving Forward To Improve Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

We urge everyone to come to our first meeting of the season on September 11 at 8pm. Judging from what happened last year, this promises to be a great season.

Looking backwards- Going forward

All our RIRA activities happened because some people decided to make a difference in their community. It’s easy to complain. But it is far more satisfying to achieve goals. More activities will happen this year. If you have ideas on what you would like to see happen, come share them. Our ideas are the drivers of the activities. If you would like to be part of making them successful please show up. If you have an idea, you can get involved in RIRA by emailing me at RIRApresident@gmail.com, or by coming to a committee meeting or the common council meeting.

Below is a sample organized by committee of what happened this past year at RIRA. It is impossible to acknowledge all the people who provided their skills and efforts Each activity requires many hands. If I left something out, please post a friendly addition.

We organized a CERT class to ensure that our community has additional community based support during emergencies. Thanks to the publicity of the Roosevelt Islander and the WIRE and all the people who sat at the RIRA table on Roosevelt Island Day our class is full. Thanks to all the new CERT members who stepped up when they saw the opportunity. The new CERT team is a quality group with varied experiences from all different buildings. It will be a very interesting training for them. We look forward to a robust CERT team and more classes in the future as the team grows.

Social Cultural Educational Committee

We created the best and biggest Easter egg festival anywhere in NYC.

We produced a huge Cherry Blossom Festival that attracted 10,000 people.

We sent a busload of volunteers to Hurricane Sandy struck Rockaway to deliver and serve home cooked hot food. Thanks again Romano for arranging this with Senator Serrano’s office.

We worked with other groups to beautify the parking garage and the plaza. Thanks to iDig2Learn’s founder Christina Delfico and RIOC’s Fernando Vargas, Margie Smith and Steve Chironis and RIVAA's President Tad Sudol the plaza and parking garage open spaces now have plantings and paintings and is much more attractive. Thanks also to the unknown people who created the artwork at The last Fall For Arts and planted the beautiful landscaping. This is the kind of community involvement we encourage in RIRA and we were happy to see the collaboration between all these community groups.

We co-sponsored the OEM Hurricane Evacuation meeting with Jessica Lappin and RIOC. I don’t have to go into detail on this presentation as Rick did a fabulous report on it. I urge everyone to read his report and watch the videos. OEM gave us important information about our evacuation status.

We invited candidates for City office to talk to the community at a candidates forum that we held at the end of the OEM meeting to allow the crowd a chance to remain a short time more, meet candidates for City office and ask them about Island issues.

Communications Committee

We have a new and developing website and are looking into best ways to reach everyone in the community and how to elicit community opinion. This year, all common council agendas and minutes will be posted on the website. We are planning to have the committee agendas posted as well.

Are you a writer? The communications committee needs you.

Public Safety Committee

We advocated for a change of leadership at public safety and believe we succeeded. RIOC has hired an interim Director of Public Safety who is using a community policing model and training his officers in this model.

To make this happen was a mammoth organizational task requiring the work of many dedicated people. We reached out to victims of abuse and convinced the entire Common Council to support us by telling the victims stories.

Committee members attended every RIOC operations meeting and RIOC full Board meeting to tell the victims stories.

We held two educational community forums each attended by hundreds of people.

We posted a series of professionally created educational posters on the kiosks. Thanks to the creations of two artists on the committee Adib Mansour and Chris Enock.

A number of years ago, Erin Feeley-Nahem and Romano Reid saw a need for the older youth to have extended hours of indoor basketball at Sports Park . RIOC’s Steve Chironis took up the idea and created professionally staffed extended hours at Sports Park that still exists. This program is still going on.

Government relations committee

We have made contact with our elected officials and have working relationships with them.

Roosevelt Island Community Coalition was created by a tag team of RIRA members and became a separate organization to negotiate a community benefits agreement with Cornell with not just the residents, but with a coalition of 33 other groups in the community so that we have the most clout.

Housing committee

We have started planning a forum with Amalgamated Bank about mortgages and home buying.

Island services Committee

Our Island Services committee, often in collaboration with the Chair of planning committee keeps tabs on all the mundane services that make our lives normal. This includes, parking, streetscape, stores, transportation, services and infrastructure. When something goes wrong, they work with the right people at RIOC or the City to correct it.

We encouraged MTA to move a bus stop, worked with RIOC transportation coordinator Cy Opperman to give us the most useful red bus service and advocated at the Community Board 8 for a more reliable City bus schedule. With the backing of the CB8, we had more clout with the MTA to look at our unreliable Q 102 bus timing.

RIRA Council member Eva Bosbach knew parents wanted their children to learn to swim. She encouraged RIOC to create the “Mommy and Me” swim classes at Sports Park.

Raye Schwarz saw a need for better pharmacy services and she worked on it through the committee. With the backing of RIRA, her advocacy was taken more seriously.

Public Purpose Fund Committee

This hard-working committee reviewed over 20 proposals and gave out $100,000 in RIOC public purpose money that beautified our streets, and parks, educated our residents and enhanced our experiences of living on the island.

All it takes is a good idea and the willingness to work to make something useful happen. Please join us on September 11 and at the committee meetings.

Report From RIRA President Ellen Polivy - Roosevelt Island Evacuation Zone, CERT Training, Cornell NYC Tech EDC Lease Agreement And Common Council Resumes Next Month

Click here for the new NYC Hurricane Evacuation Map.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Ellen Polivy sends the following Report To The Community:

OEM to speak about Roosevelt Island's new evacuation zones:

Thanks to the efforts of City Council member, Jessica Lappin, On Tuesday August 27, Office of Emergency Management will be holding a meeting on Roosevelt Island to tell us about our new evacuation zone. It appears that Roosevelt Island is now split between two evacuation zones. The new zones have more refinement in determining which zones to evacuate during any given emergency. On August 27, we will learn more about this. Meeting will take place from 6:30 to 7:45 at the Manhattan Park Theater Club. Our Government Relations Committee is considering inviting candidates to talk to the community after the OEM presentation. Taking advantage of an existing crowd for a relatively short but important meeting, anyone who would like to remain will have the chance to hear the candidates who choose to come. If we can pull it off, we will let you know.

CERT class forming now:

Hurricane season is soon upon us. Super Storm Sandy occurred last October. In anticipation for any possible emergencies on the Island, the Roosevelt Island CERT team is attempting to increase its membership. CERT, the acronym for Community Emergency Response Team reaches out to neighbors and teaches people to prepare for emergencies, builds community resilience by helping people respond appropriately during the emergency and helps in recovery. CERT has proved to be effective at helping first responders in emergency situations providing triage and backup assistance to allow the first responders to be more effective.

I am happy to report that RIRA's efforts to request a CERT class on Roosevelt Island has paid off. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has generously agreed to hold its ten week training class on the Island providing we have a large enough enrollment. The Roosevelt Islander Blog call-out for CERT class applicants has been very effective. The Roosevelt Island class is almost filled. OEM has assured me that they will find a place for anyone who wants to take the class this fall. We need all interested people to get involved.

The volunteers on CERT are an elite group, having been trained in 10 weekly sessions on everything from fire safety to subway evacuation to protocols for mass disaster response. Please sign up to be a CERT trainee. When the course is completed you will have the status of being able to represent CERT in helping your community and the city prepare and respond to emergencies. The main expectation of CERT members is to help their immediate community. However, members are also offered opportunities to take additional courses, take part in FDNY disaster drills, are deployed to help in real disasters around the City and assist in many Citywide events. The work CERT does is respected and needed. One year we were invited to Gracie Mansion for a thank you cocktail party and photos with Mayor Mike.

The CERT Class will be held on Tuesdays from Sept 24 to Dec 3 from 6:30-9:30 on Roosevelt Island. To get an application, stop by Public Safety or email our CERT Chief at rooseveltislandCERT@gmail.com.

Busy summer:

We still have another month, so please don't feel like I am rushing the summer when I say that the RIRA Common Council starts up again on Wednesday, September 11 at 8pm. I too, relish the last four weeks of summer even though my workload does not seem to have let up like I had hoped. Among my summer community volunteer activities were RIRA committees, RICC itemizing the gains and losses from our year long discussion with Cornell, the Community Board vote on the final lease for Cornell and back to organizing a CERT team training on the Island and an OEM presentation on our new evacuation status.

RIRA Common Council resumes:

At our next RIRA council meeting, We hope to have our new RIOC President Charlene Indelicato meet the Common Council. We will have also have presentations by Korean Association about their proposed gazebo in Southpoint Park and Island Shakespeare Theater Company about their ideas for space. Both groups are asking for RIRA support.

Importance of RIRA:

This brings me to the question; how does RIRA's support for the important work of Island groups help each organization and the community as a whole?

First, RIRA acts like a think tank- A group may be very insular because they are composed of people with similar interests and inclinations. By exposing their proposal to a wider breath of thoughts and relatively disinterested parties throughout the community, the group is forced to accurately assess their appeal and perhaps amend their plan to achieve broader acceptance.

Second, RIRA acts as a vetting organization. Since we discuss and evaluate proposals brought before us, we are providing the community's seal of approval. A group's proposal may be tempered by broader public discussion and then accepted. This deliberative quality is why RIRA has gained the respect of RIOC, elected officials, governmental organizations and funding sources as the voice of the community. A group vetted by RIRA is thought to understand the broader community needs and wants and is serving a real need.

Committee membership:

In the Fall, there will be lots of room on committees for all who want to join. Remember, all Island residents are RIRA members and all can join committees. Check out our new website riraonline.com which is in its formative stages as the committee chairs learn how to post onto it .

Roosevelt Island Community Coalition

We want to thank Cornell and Jessica Lappin during the Land use process. With the help of Cornell’s connections and collaborative work with Jessica Lappin, we were able to get access to many organizations to discuss Island issues.

RICC is an example of how the community has pulled together- Not just residents but also other stakeholders, the business, organizations, schools, not for profits as well as the residents to make our needs known to Cornell and the elected officials and governmental organizations during the land use review of Cornell. We hope to continue to ensure our Island is treated fairly and respectfully during construction.

Here is the RICC official statement about Cornell’s land lease approval.

The lease between Cornell NYC Tech and the City of New York was, unsurprisingly, adopted by New York City's Borough Board on July 18th.

The cup is half full; the cup is half empty.

RICC was pleased at certain inclusions in the lease -- notably Cornell's agreement to barge some construction materials in order to reduce the number of trucks on Main Street. RICC believes, however, that the barging agreement, lacking the element of an onsite cement plant, is at best a partial solution and will still bring too many trucks to Main Street, especially cement trucks. Moreover, the agreement --as are most agreements throughout the lease -- is worded in a vague, nonspecific manner that defies accountability. This will be a constant concern in near and distant future.

On the positive side, RICC and its community members were responsible for identifying and urging the inclusion of many of the community commitments that appear in the lease. (Actually, they are appended to the lease.) These commitments include "adopting" PS/IS217 by providing a variety of programs and services; mentoring for post high school young adults; computer training for seniors and adaptive computer technology for disabled residents; an environmental learning center for children (in the lease it became worded as outdoor space for children); meeting space for community groups; and the creation of a construction committee (to include RICC) for communication and oversight during the development process. RICC will do its utmost to help see to it that these and other Cornell commitments are ultimately fulfilled. Cornell is in the process of “operationalizing” the commitments to the community. RICC member organizations will be giving advice to Cornell in their goal of bringing their agreements to life.

Another positive note is that RIOC, led by Board President Charlene Indelicato, is involved in private discussions with Cornell and the City and will remain involved.

Now that the lease has been adopted, and the handshakes are over, RICC hopes that City agencies and officials will seriously consider providing financial assistance to Roosevelt Island as our community confronts the crucial years ahead.