Roosevelt Island celebrated the Americans With Disabilities Act on Friday, July 16 with the ribbon cuttng and unveiling of the FDR Hope Memorial which depicts President Franklin D Roosevelt sitting in his wheelchair greeting a young girl standing on her crutches at Jim Bates and Nancy Brown Plaza in Southpoint Park.
As previously reported, here are the remarks from Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) President Wendy Hersh
and FDR Hope Memorial Chair Marc Diamond describing the 12 year effort to
build the FDR Hope Memorial and bring it to Roosevelt Island.
More on the history of the 12 year effort to build the FDR Hope Memorial and bring it to Roosevelt Island at this post from yesterday.
It was particularly fitting that after the
12 year struggle of starts and stops
to build the
FDR Hope Memorial
depicting President Franklin Roosevelt sitting in his wheelchair greeting a
young girl standing on crutches and bring it to Roosevelt Island that the ribbon
cutting and sculpture unveiling ceremony
began with the song Imagine.
Here's Roosevelt Island resident and Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance
(MST&DA) Assistant
Executive Director
Kimbirdlee Fadner
singing Imagine to begin yesterday's ceremony.
It was an incredibly hot and humid afternoon today for the FDR Hope Memorial
ribbon cutting and sculpture unveiling ceremony but that did not stop
residents and visitors alike from having a wonderful time.
The FDR Hope Memorial depicts President Franklin Roosevelt, as he lived in his
wheelchair, greeting a young girl standing on crutches.
Here's the ribbon cutting.
Also, remarks from Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) President Wendy Hersh
and FDR Hope Memorial Chair Marc Diamond describing the 12 year effort to
build the FDR Hope Memorial and bring it to Roosevelt Island.
More on the history of the 12 year effort to build the FDR Hope Memorial and bring it to Roosevelt Island at Southpoint Park at this post from yesterday.
Stay tuned for more video from today's FDR Hope Ceremony.
The Roosevelt Island
FDR Hope Memorial
depicting President Franklin D. Roosevelt sitting in a wheelchair greeting a
young girl standing on crutches will be unveiled Saturday July 17 at Southpoint
Park. Yesterday, the box covering the Memorial was partially removed revealing
the statue figures of FDR and young girl.
According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
Tomorrow, Saturday, July 17th, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) plan to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the unveiling of the FDR Hope Memorial, an immersive work of art commemorating the progressive former U.S. president and disability advocate, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Join us at Southpoint Park for the celebratory ribbon-cutting. Attendees able to utilize grass areas surrounding the memorial will be asked to do so. Special accommodations can be made, onsite, upon request for those who require them. The event will start promptly at 12:00pm.
RIDA President
Wendy Hersh spoke briefly about the fight and struggles to get a memorial
depicting President Roosevelt sitting in his wheelchair built on
Roosevelt Island during a portion of this interview with the CUNY TV program Diverse City.
Starting in 2009, the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) and a group
of local supporters began a campaign to build a memorial to President Franklin
D Roosevelt depicting him as he lived, sitting in a wheelchair. The campaign
was initiated upon learning that the proposed FDR 4 Freedoms Park designed by
architect Louis Kahn ignored the fact that FDR was a disabled person.
As reported in February 2009:
... the proposed Kahn/FDR memorial also fails to acknowledge FDR as a man
and a President of the United States who achieved greatness despite a
disability that forced him into a wheelchair. The absence, in any meaningful
way, of FDR's use of a wheelchair or crutches is particularly shameful given
the large disabled and handicapped community at Roosevelt Island's
Coler-Goldwater Hospital complex.
A similar controversy arose at the
FDR Memorial in Washington DC....
... A great idea for an appropriate and honorable FDR Memorial on Roosevelt
Island was suggested by
Roosevelt Island's Doctor Jack Resnick who treats many of our disabled residents.
Somebody designed a memorial to FDR on Roosevelt Island that completely
ignored the man’s physical disability. Franklin Roosevelt spent much of his
adult life in a wheelchair. The polio virus, which infected him in 1921 at
the age of 39, left him with almost no use of his legs. Twelve years later
he became President of the United States. He went on to save the country
from economic calamity and the world from Hitler....
...Roosevelt Island is a living, breathing memorial to FDR. And when we
celebrated FDR Day here each year, it was clear that we were focused on FDR
as an icon for the disabled.
The FDR Memorial on this Island should focus on the President’s strength in
conquering his disability. Many possibilities come to mind. For instance, he
should not be memorialized with a bust. We should see a
greater-than-life-sized statue of him sitting in a wheelchair – and he
should face north toward Goldwater and Coler Hospitals...
Shortly thereafter, in response to my inquiry, the RIDA Board Of
Directors including then President Virginia Granato, Jim Bates, Nancy Brown
and Gloria Narduzzo
On behalf of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association and it's many disabled
members we want to voice our opposition to a glaring deficit in the current
proposal for the FDR Memorial to be built at the Southern tip of Roosevelt
Island.
President Roosevelt was disabled by Polio before he was elected President of
the United States and used a wheelchair almost exclusively. A statue of
President Roosevelt sitting in a wheelchair or standing with the help of his
crutches would be most appropriate here on an Island where many disabled
people reside, both in apartments and in the two chronic care hospitals. In
the same manner that our first black president, Barack Obama, has inspired so
many school- aged black children to aspire to higher achievements, once
thought to be impossible, such a memorial would have the same effect on the
disabled community when viewing a statue of one of our most beloved presidents
and realizing that he, too, was disabled and was able to overcome his
disability and be elected to the highest office in the country. What an
inspiration that would be for the multitude of disabled visitors, especially
our wheelchair bound war veterans returning from Iraq, to visualize that
despite their disability anything is possible. The memorial, as shown in the
artist's sketches. does not portray FDR as disabled and we feel that this is
an injustice to us all. It is said that “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
In this instance, a statue of FDR depicted as our first disabled President
would speak volumes to the millions of visitors, disabled and non-disabled who
will be visiting The FDR Memorial for generations to come.
Roosevelt Island Disabled Association Board of Directors and it's members
RIDA members also protested against
the failure to include representation of FDR's disability at Roosevelt Island
public meetings regarding the FDR 4 Freedoms Park.
... WHEREAS the continued resident population of Roosevelt Island, uniquely
composed in significant part of many disabled persons, residing both
independently in apartments or within the two chronic care hospitals located
on the island, renders a true portrayal of President Roosevelt more meaningful
and poignant on Roosevelt Island than any in any other location; and
THEREFORE, NOW BE IT RESOLVED that the Roosevelt Island Residents Association
supports a plan for the Four Freedoms Park that includes a celebration of
President Roosevelt as a disabled person by depicting him in a wheelchair or
on crutches.
-Adopted by the Common Council of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association
6/3/09...
Following these protests, in June 2009, Ambassador William vanden Heuvel, chair of the
FDR 4 Freedoms Park
sent a letter to RIDA offering to help in their efforts to recognize FDR as a
disabled person.
He wrote:
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute greatly appreciates the
interest of the Roosevelt Island disabled community regarding the Four
Freedoms Park which is to be built on Southpoint. Those who took the trouble
to come to the recent meeting are absolutely right – we must find a way to
tell our universal audience of FDR’s disability and the important role it
played in his greatness as President of the United States. I never give a
speech about FDR without telling the story of his disability....
... Somehow we must find a way to convey this incredible story to those who
visit Southpoint. Building on our initial meeting, we will work with
representatives of Roosevelt Island to achieve that objective. We are
grateful to Virginia Granato and Dr. Resnick for their effective
presentation. Our task is to work together to find a way to accomplish our
mutual purpose, honoring a great President and remembering the qualities of
character that enabled him to lead our country so well.
Ambassador vanden Heuvel and the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute did
help RIDA by securing the first $100 thousand donation and have been
working together since to bring the
FDR Hope Memorial to Roosevelt Island.
Jim Bates became President of RIDA after Virginia Granato stepped down.
"Uncle" Jim established the
FDR Hope Memorial Committee
and became a tireless advocate for the FDR Hope Memorial working with RIOC to
find a location site in Southpoint Park, fundraising and selecting the sculptor, Meredith Bergmann, to design and build the FDR Hope Memorial
There were setbacks and delays but at all times Uncle Jim with the help of
local resident Marc Diamond and other members of the FDR Hope Memorial
Committee persevered. In 2012 sculptor
Meredith Bergmann
presented a mock up of the sculpture to the Committee.
The design originally included a representation of FDR's desk but that was not included in final version due to cost cutbacks.
In 2015, Roosevelt Island
NY State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright
visited Southpoint Park to announce a $150 thousand anonymous gift donation
for the FDR Hope Memorial.
"Uncle" Jim Bates added:
... Hopefully this will inspire people around the world and challenge the
disabled community that they are an enabled community and they can be whatever
they choose to be.
Virginia Granato spoke about her feelings that day too.
There were more delays and difficulties for the FDR Hope Memorial but in 2019,
RIOC, under former President Susan Rosenthal took control of funding the project to completion and finally opening to the
public tomorrow.
It is sad that both
"Uncle" Jim Bates and
Virginia Granato
passed away before they could see the unveiling of the FDR Hope Memorial
tomorrow but their vision of "enabled, not disabled" was continued by current RIDA President Wendy Hersh and will live on and inspire
others who visit the FDR Hope Memorial in the days to come.
For disclosure purposes, I am a member of the FDR Hope Memorial Committee.
Here's RIOC press release.
UPDATE 7/17 - FDR Hope Memorial Ribbon Cutting Ceremony today.
DiverseCITY highlights the beautiful mosaic that is New York, one neighborhood at a time. The monthly series features a bit of history, shares community issues of concern, and profiles businesses that are unique to their neighborhood. Hosted by Zyphus Lebrun (Study With the Best, Independent Sources), the show hopes to familiarize New Yorkers with their neighboring communities.
Celebrating Franklin D. Roosevelt's perseverance despite the paralysis of his
legs, the FDR Hope Memorial provides inspiration to those struggling with the
extraordinary personal challenges of all forms of disability. The memorial is
located near the southern top of Roosevelt Island in NYC—with the United
Nations within FDR's view....
There have been many delays and setbacks since the FDR Hope Memorial was first proposed in 2009,
... The efforts to build a memorial on Roosevelt Island depicting President Roosevelt in a wheelchair began in 2009 when RIDA opposed and protested the Louis Kahn FDR Four Freedom Park design proposal for not portraying in any manner President Roosevelt as a disabled person.
RIDA and the FDR Four Freedoms Park organizers subsequently reconciled
and have been working together to bring the FDR Hope Memorial to
fruition....
During last evening's Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board
Of Directors meeting, Acting RIOC President Shelton Haynes reported that:
...the FDR Hope Memorial is now completed and we hope to have unveiling very
soon, weather permitting and social distancing permitting....
Here's a 2012 interview with FDR Hope Memorial Sculptor Meredith Bergmann and former RIDA President/FDR Hope Committee Chair Jim Bates (now deceased) at an early design mock-up presentation of the FDR Hope Memorial. (At the time of interview, the Memorial included FDR's desk which was not included in final design)
Also, in 2015 former RIDA President Virginia Granato, who was very involved in early stages of the project before she passed away, described what the FDR Hope Memorial meant to her.
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) is holding a Special Board of Directors meeting tomorrow, 5:30 PM November 11, at the Cultural Center (548 Main Street). Only 2 items are on the Agenda.
The first Agenda Item is deferral of rental payment from Southtown developer Hudson Related for the soon to start construction Riverwalk building 9 and the second is approval of construction funding by RIOC of the long delayed FDR Hope Memorial sculpture that depicts President Franklin Roosevelt sitting in a wheelchair.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Special Meeting of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cultural Center Theater, 548 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York, 10044.
AGENDA:
Approval of Deferral of Specified Rental Payment and Related Modifications for Southtown Development Building # 9 (Board Action Required)
Authorization to enter into Contract with Sea Crest Construction Corp. for construction services in Connection with the FDR Hope Memorial Project (Board Action Required)
Apparently, no public session prior to the Special Meeting.
According to this memo from RIOC Chief Financial Officer John O'Reilly to RIOC President Susan Rosenthal in support of deferring Hudson Related's rental payment of Southtown's Riverwalk Building 9 development:
The Southtown Plan and Project approved by the Board of Directors on September 22, 1999 included general requirements for the development of Building #9. Additional conditions of the development were outlined in five separate amendments to the development agreement.
As part of the Fifth Amendment to Development Agreement, Hudson Companies Incorporated & the Related Companies L.P. (Hudson/Related) was required to pay RIOC a Specified Rental Payment in the amount of $16,800,000 for Building 8. According to the terms, such payment was due on the Rental Commencement Date, but the developer could defer payment of the Specified Rental Payment until the earlier of (i) a period not to exceed thirty-six (36) months from the Rent Commencement Date, or (ii) developer’s sale of development rights under the Inclusionary Housing Program, set forth in section 23-90 of the New York City Zoning Resolution (ZR), and in either case, all unpaid Specified Rental Payment would bear simple interest at the rate of 4%.
Per the amendments to the development agreement, Rent Commencement Date is defined as “the earlier of (i) the date upon which one or more Temporary Certificates of Occupancy is issued by the New York City Department of Buildings for at least ninety percent (90%) of the Completed Units in the Building, and (ii) the second (2nd) anniversary of the date of this lease.”
For Building 9, the Fifth Amendment to Development Agreement states that the Specified Rental Payment “shall be equal a Blended Land Value of $152.33 per square foot floor area, minus $60 per square foot floor area, if the Ground Lease is signed in calendar year 2019”; that the Blended Land Value would increase annually, at a rate of 2.75%; and such payment would be due upon Substantial Completion of the project.
Unlike for Building 8, the development agreement does not provide a right to the developer to defer such payments. The Specified Rental Payment for Building 9 is estimated at $24,800,000.
Issue: Hudson Related is requesting that the Specified Rental Payment be deferred for 18 months from the Rent Commencement Date instead of Substantial Completion. Hudson Related is also asking that the definition of Rent Commencement Date be amended to “the earlier of (i) the date upon which one or more Temporary Certifications of Occupancy is issued by the New York City Department of Buildings for at least 90% of the Completed Units in the building; and (ii) 30 months from the signing of the ground lease.” Hudson Related is making such request due to the size of the building, it being larger than the other Riverwalk buildings; and because the construction is expected to last about 28 months. Moreover, the balance of payments from the institutional purchaser is scheduled to occur 12 months following the Rent Commencement Date, and the deferred payment would ensure that funds are available to Hudson Related from the institutional sale to pay the Blended Land Value payment due to RIOC. This request would also move the time in which ground rent would be due by 6 months.
In exchange for such request, Hudson Related has agreed to pay interest at a rate of 4.5% on the unpaid principal portion of the Specified Rental Payment until the end of the 18-month deferral period, when the principal and interest would be due in full.
Recommendation: Based on the above, we recommend the Board approve the request to modify the definition of the Rent Commencement Date, to defer the ground rent that will be due by 6 months; and to allow for an 18-month deferral on payment of the Specified Rental Payment from the Rent Commencement Date (instead of the date of Substantial Completion), at a 4.5% interest rate for the duration of that time period. As a result, RIOC would gain an interest income in the amount of $1,692,693.59 in addition to the principal amount owed.
Also, here's RIOC Assistant VP of Capital Planning & Projects Jonna Carmona-Graf memo to RIOC President Rosenthal in support of funding construction of the long awaited FDR Hope Memorial sculpture depicting President Franklin Roosevelt in a wheelchair.
Background: In 2010, when the Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI) sought approval from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) to build FDR Four Freedoms (FFP), the Roosevelt Island Disability Association (RIDA) protested the lack of representation of FDR as disabled in the park’s design. In response, FERI pledged $100,000 toward a sculpture project sponsored by RIDA that would portray FDR in his wheelchair at a site nearby. The Board of Directors approved the siting of the FDR Hope Memorial in Southpoint Park north of the Small Pox Hospital in May 2010.
Subsequent to the Board’s approval of the siting, RIDA formed a committee to solicit a call for Artists to commission a monument. This competitive selection process resulted in RIDA’s hiring of Meredith Bergmann. Following a period of extensive research, the two-person scene within the circular plaza was conceived and was presented to the community and other oversight groups such as NYC Public Design Commission, NYC Parks and NYC Community Board 8. Fabrication of the bronze statues commenced upon approval of these groups.
In April 2018, as RIDA did not have the funds to complete the project, RIDA requested the assistance of RIOC. Materials were submitted and approved by the Board authorizing RIOC to:
a. Assume responsibility for the FDR Hope Memorial project execution estimated at a cost to RIOC of approximately $300,000; based upon an estimation prepared by Accu-Cost Construction Consultants, Inc. (Accu-Cost)
b. Enter into an agreement with NYC Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) for reimbursement of up to $150,000 in construction costs;
c. Enter into an agreement with RIDA donating the statue to RIOC; and
d. Procure Mt. Airy White granite and St. John’s granite from North Carolina Granite as a sole source.
Since the Board approval on April 18, 2018, a contract with NYC Parks was executed and registered with the NYC Comptroller’s office on July 12, 2019; an agreement with RIDA was executed and the sole source procurement of the granite pavers was initiated. The actual cost incurred for the stone was $175,088 vs. a budget of $193,147 (which includes contingency), yielding a savings of $18,059. We also moved forward with the development of contract documents for bidding purposes, including drawings and technical specifications. The artist’s team only prepared preliminary construction documents for the plaza. As such, RIOC engaged the services of an Architect of Record to complete the construction documents for bidding and issued a purchase order to the Lawrence Group, one of the Architecture/Engineering firms on our panel.
Final technical drawings and specifications were delivered to RIOC for review in June 2019. These contract documents were reviewed by the LiRo Group (RIOC’s Owner’s Representative) for completeness, constructability and estimating prior to issuing an RFP for construction services. The estimated value for work included in the RFP documents prepared by LiRo, is approximately $620,000.
Procurement: A request for proposals was advertised in the New York State Contract Reporter and RIOC website on August 26, 2019. Bids were due on October 10, 2019 and two proposals were received.
Contractor bid proposals were reviewed by Capital Planning & Projects and LiRo (Owner’s Representative). We assessed pricing included in the RFP bid proposals, the final cost estimate prepared by LiRo and the design estimate of approximately $300,000 provided to RIOC by the artist’s team and Accu-Cost.
Upon RIOC and LiRo’s review of the bid pricing and the Accu-Cost estimate we found essential scope items were not included in the Accu-Cost estimate, including demolition, lighting, fill, erosion control and concrete aggregate (an approximate value of $164,000). In addition, there was a variance in the quantity of pavers and general conditions costs were very low (an additional cost of approximately $263,000). We met with both contractors to understand their assumptions included in the pricing and requested clarifications.
The proposals were then reviewed by Capital Planning & Projects and LiRo (Owner’s Representative) and found to be fair and reasonable and in accordance with RIOC’s procurement guidelines. Sea Crest’s proposal was most responsive to the criteria set forth in the RFP and was within industry range of the LiRo estimate of $620,000.
Recommendation: Based on the above, RIOC Capital Planning and Projects recommends subject, to the satisfaction of all contracting requirements, that the Board of Directors authorize and approve entering into contract with Sea Crest Construction Corporation to provide Construction Services for the FDR Hope Memorial Project for a total amount of $650,000 with a 5% contingency of $32,500 bringing the total authorized not-to-exceed amount to $682,500. We expect construction work to be complete within four (4) months.
As previously reported, RIOC Directors Margie Smith and Faye Christian resigned last week leaving only 5 of the 9 RIOC Board seats filled with 3 resident Board members and 2 NY State representatives.
Authorization to “Override’ the New York City Zoning Resolution in Connection with the Development of Southtown Buildings 8 & 9
Authorization to Enter into Settlement Agreement in Connection with the Rivercross Arbitration and Second Amendment of the Rivercross Ground Lease
and Authorization to Take Certain Actions to Assume the Responsibility for the FDR Hope Memorial Project Execution within the Southpoint Open Space Area
Below is the April 18 RIOC Board meeting full agenda and Board Materials on each Agenda Item.
AGENDA
APRIL 18, 2018 MEETING OF
THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THE CULTURAL CENTER THEATER, 548 MAIN STREET,
ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NEW YORK
5:30 P.M.[1]
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. Approval of Minutes
1. March 1, 2018 Board Meeting (Board Action Required)
IV. Old Business
New Business
1. Authorization to “Override’ the New York City Zoning Resolution in Connection with the Development of Southtown Buildings 8 & 9 (Board Action Required)
2. Ratification of Insurance Binders for FY 2018-19 (Board Action Required)
3. Authorization to Enter into Settlement Agreement in Connection with the Rivercross Arbitration and Second Amendment of the Rivercross Ground Lease (Board Action Required)
4. Authorization to Enter into Contract with Gardner & Theobald, Inc. for Owner's Representative Services for Capital Projects & Strategic Planning (Board Action Required)
5. Approval of Extension of the FY 2017-18 Public Purpose Grants Period (Board Action Required)
6. Ratification of Contract with Derive Technologies LLC and EIA Datacom, Inc. for the Purchase of Surveillance Cameras (Board Action Required)
7. Authorization to Enter into Contract with the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Officers Benevolent Association (Board Action Required)
8. Ratification of the Amendment of Contract with New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. for Cleaning Services at RIOC’s Facilities (Board Action Required)
9. Authorization to Take Certain Actions to Assume the Responsibility for the FDR Hope Memorial Project Execution within the Southpoint Open Space Area (Board Action Required)
By chance, I ran into two Rivercross residents separately yesterday and today and during our conversation both asked:
... why wasn't I aware of the Rivercross arbitration settlement and RIOC meeting tomorrow on subject?
I did not have an answer for them.
Also, note that the Westview ground lease agreement, which was the subject of an April 3 Executive Session RIOC Real Estate Advisory Committee meeting, is not on tomorrow's RIOC Board meeting agenda.
Jim Bates, or Uncle Jim, as he was known by many on Roosevelt Island, was one of our neighbors who contributed greatly to making Roosevelt Island a special place to live.
Jim Bates was the President of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA),
a Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council member for his building (2-4 River Road) and the driving force behind the FDR Hope Memorial Committee. Jim Bates was also a Veteran of the US Coast Guard.
RIRA President Jeff Escobar reports:
As many of you may or may not already know, one of our most beloved colleague, community member, leader, advocate and stalwart supporter of life on Roosevelt Island, Jim Bates, passed away this last weekend. Jim, our RIRA council member from 2-4 River Road, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away on Saturday morning, Veterans Day. Words cannot begin to express the sadness and sorrow all of us on Roosevelt Island feel at this loss.
There will be a memorial service for Jim this Wednesday, November 15 at 10:00 am at the Good Shepherd Church on Roosevelt Island. Please consider attending if you are able to. Also please consider using the following link to contribute generously to help his family defray the accumulated debt associated with his passing and funeral. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Please also feel free to pass and share the above information to your neighbors, friends and your respective building constituents.
... His neighbors will long remember the stubborn New York native who rolled down Main Street with the sign, "Enabled, not Disabled" on the back of his wheelchair. Jim fought to create a world where people with disabilities were welcomed into all areas of life and not seen as a burden or an afterthought, but important, central, contributing members of society....
Here's Jim Bates in action advocating for the "Enabled Not Disabled" to play wheelchair basketball at Sportspark,
UPDATE 3:05 PM - Roosevelt Island resident and FDR Hope Committee member Marc Diamond adds:
Jim's vision of a memorial dedicated to FDR's disability will be realized. The scope of the project has been reduced so that less than $100,000 is now needed to build the plaza for the sculpture and a timeline that explains the interrelated history of Roosevelt Island, polio, and FDR. The timeline culminates with the vision that all communities become like Roosevelt Island: accessible, inclusive, and welcoming.
Contributions to the project can be made by supporting any of the fundraising efforts toward tribute stones on the plaza, or starting a new tribute, at fdrhope.org. To inquire about making a major contribution, contact Marc Diamond at support@fdrhopememorial.org.
Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) President Jim Bates reports:
The Roosevelt Island community is at a loss.
Virginia Granata has passed away over the weekend.Virginia was in the hospital at the time of her passing.
Virginia has dedicated her life as an advocate for people with a Disability both on and off the Island.Virginia served as president of The Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, advocating for the many disabled people living on Roosevelt Island.. Virginia also served on the community board of Goldwater/ Cooler Hospital as well as holding board positions on other Disabled organization's
A memorial is being planned and an announcement will be made when it will occur.
In August 2015, I spoke with Virginia Granato at a ceremony marking the completion of fundraising for the FDR Hope Memorial depicting President Franklin Roosevelt sitting in a wheelchair that is planned to be located in Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park.
... It means alot for the Disabled Community in that President Roosevelt did have polio and was able to accomplish so much at that time with the disability and it gives you hope and a good feeling.
Condolences to Virginia Granato's family, friends and neighbors.
Roosevelt Island's NY State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright presented Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) President Jim Bates with a check for $150 Thousand to complete funding for the FDR Hope Memorial yesterday afternoon at Southpoint Park.
A sculpture of President Franklin D. Roosevelt seated in a wheelchair, interacting with a disabled child, is planned for Roosevelt Island in New York City. The FDR Hope Memorial will be located at Southpoint Park, just south of the hospital where survivors of polio, the disease that disabled Roosevelt, benefited from the pioneering use of ventilators that freed them from the constraints of “iron lungs.”
The goal of the FDR Hope Memorial Committee (FDRHM), a sub-committee of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, is to celebrate President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the inspiration for all who strive to overcome challenges. According to the memorial’s mission statement, “Roosevelt Island was so named to reflect a commitment to an integrated community where the disabled move freely, live independently and develop to their fullest potential. The FDR Hope Memorial will educate future generations about FDR and about Roosevelt Island, a vital community of ‘enabled’ residents.”
Jim Bates, President of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, said the memorial will be “a place of comfort, hope, understanding and inspiration.”...
On a beautiful August summer day on Roosevelt Island, Assembly Member Seawright presented Jim Bates of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association with a $150,000 check from a charitable individual who wishes to remain anonymous. The donated funds will allow RIDA to move forward with the FDR Hope Memorial project, which has been in the works since 2009.
The memorial will be located in Roosevelt Island’s Southpoint Park. Sculptor, Meredith Bergmann, has been commissioned to create the statue of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt seated in a wheelchair reaching out to a young girl with a crutch. The memorial signifies the strength of those with disabilities in overcoming adversity.
“I am thrilled that we were able to work with a remarkably generous constituent to finish this extraordinary memorial,” Seawright said. “This is just another shining example of the incredible unity that exists in our district and I could not be prouder.”
Standing before the site upon which the monument will be located, the Assembly Member said “I am honored to be here to assist with the completion of the FDR Hope Memorial. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s legacy has developed into something beyond what people alive at that time generally knew – that he was not just a remarkable President, but also an individual who prevailed despite his disability.”
The sculptor and the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association expect that the FDR Hope Memorial will be complete by Fall 2016.
Here's Ms. Seawright presenting the $150 Thousand check to Mr. Bates.
The FDR Hope Memorial will open in the fall of 2016.
The FDR Hope Memorial sculptor Meredith Bergmann described the inspiration for the memorial and RIDA President Jim Bates said:
... we can present this not only to New York City, but to the world. This will inspire people around the world in the challenged and disabled community that they are an enabled community and they can be whatever they choose to be.
Prior the the check donation ceremony, former RIDA President Virginia Granato spoke about her feelings at seeing fundraising for the FDR Hope Memorial completed.
In addition to the anonymous $150 thousand donation, the FDR Hope Memorial received $150 Thousand from NYC Parks Department and $100 Thousand through the efforts of the FDR Four Freedoms Park as well as some smaller individual contributions.
Here's more on the FDR Hope Memorial
and my 2012 interview with Ms. Bergmann and Mr. Bates showing a mock up of the FDR Hope Memorial.
The efforts to build a memorial on Roosevelt Island depicting President Roosevelt in a wheelchair began in 2009 when RIDA opposed and protested the Louis Kahn FDR Four Freedom Park design proposal for not portraying in any manner President Roosevelt as a disabled person.
RIDA and the FDR Four Freedoms Park organizers subsequently reconciled and have been working together to bring the FDR Hope Memorial to fruition. (For disclosure purposes, I have been part of the efforts assisting FDR Hope Memorial from the beginning.)
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.
