You're Invited To March 12 Freewheeling Question And Answer Conversation With Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Jack McManus - Tell Him What Is Going On

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Public Safety Chair Erin Feely-Nahem invites you to a Meet And Greet Conversation with Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department Director Jack McManus  7 PM tomorrow evening, March 12, at the Westview (625 Main Street) Lower Community Room.

During the February 24 Criminal Justice/Public Safety Town Hall Meeting with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and NY State Senator Jose Serrano, Ms. Feely-Nahem acknowledged the positive changes to the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department brought about by RIOC President Charlene Indelicato and PSD Director Jack McManus but noted that more change was needed as well as an accounting for past misconduct. Here's what Ms. Feely-Nahem said.



RIRA's Frank Farance also spoke during the Town Hall meeting. Mr. Farance focused on allegations of past Public Safety Department misconduct including Officers physically abusing residents and fabricating testimony. District Attorney Vance said his Rackets Bureau Chief would look into the misconduct allegations. Here's what Mr. Farance had to say.



Here is the full video of the Roosevelt Island Criminal Justice Town Hall Meeting as well as September 2013 question and answer session with PSD Director McManus.

NYPD Arrests 3 Persons For Criminal Possession Of A Gun At Roosevelt Island's 580 Main Street (Roosevelt Landings) Last Friday - Criminal Justice/Public Safety Town Hall Meeting Sponsored By District Attorney Vance And State Senator Serrano February 24

According to this Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department (PSD) Incident Report:

2/14/14 - 1958 - 580 Main St. - Crim. Possession of Weapon - NYPD conducts arrest

A NYPD Press Spokesperson reported that officers from the 114th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a gun spotted at 580 Main Street (Roosevelt Landings). Upon reaching the 4th floor of the building, the NYPD officers observed a gun on a ledge and arrested 3 persons in close proximity to the gun.

RIOC PSD Director Jack McManus adds that PSD received an anonymous call about a gun being spotted at the location. PSD then called 911 and NYPD responded.

Roosevelt Island criminal justice and public safety issues will be the subject of a Town Hall Meeting on Monday, February 24.

 Image From State Senator Jose Serrano's Office

As previously reported:

Senator José M. Serrano and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. are sponsoring a very important Town Hall Meeting for the Roosevelt Island community. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact directly with DA Vance and our local elected officials, while learning more about the services provided by the District Attorney's office.

Do you have concerns about public safety and the role of the DA's office? Suggestions or questions? The panel, which will include DA Vance and Senator Serrano, will lead a discussion enabling Roosevelt Island residents to have their voices heard. Please join us!

This Town Hall Meeting will take place on Monday, February 24th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm at the Good Shepherd Community Center Auditorium, located at 543 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, NY 10044.

Light refreshments will be served.

This is an important meeting. Hope to see you there.

UPDATE 2/26 - According to a Manhattan District Attorney's Office representative, the weapons charge was dismissed. The weapon was a BB gun. A charge of marijuana possession remains.

Must See Roosevelt Island Video - RIOC Public Safety Director Jack McManus Discusses Issues With RIRA Public Safety Committee

RIOC PSD Director McManus and RIRA PSC Chair Nahem Prior To RIRA Meeting

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Director Jack McManus met with the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Public Safety Committee last night for a very interesting and productive 90 minute discussion.

Here's what happened. Following an introduction by RIRA Public Safety Chair Erin Feely-Nahem, Mr. McManus gave a brief introduction on his views regarding Public Safety on Roosevelt Island



followed by questions and answers from the audience.





If you are interested in Roosevelt Island Public Safety issues, I highly recommend watching the full 90 minutes.

In my view, whether you agree or disagree with Mr. McManus on any particular Roosevelt Island Public Safety issue, he should be congratulated for opening up a meaningful dialogue with the community.

RIRA President's Report on Roosevelt Island Reunion, Blackwell Park Master Plan, Red Bus, Parking & Public Safety Town Hall Meeting

RIRA President Farance at Public Safety Town Hall Meeting

RIRA President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

1. Reunion of young Island residents, circa 1976-1985. "If you remember ice skating next to Westview, if you remember swimming in the Island House pool ..." the invitation read. It's being covered in this issue of The WIRE. As a "kid" (age 21), I remember all my musician friends on the island. I was a mentor for younger musicians, who became mentors themselves, and so on. On some Saturday mornings, we'd pull together keyboards, guitars, amplifiers, and drums, and play at the back of Motorgate — in those days, Motorgate was far away from disturbing any residential building. On June 27, we musicians returned for a reunion jam. Ah, the pleasure of playing Mustang Sally on a summer day. Thanks to Mike Smith and his staff at RIOC for making everything go perfectly. And thanks to RIOC President Steve Shane for suggesting and supporting Southpoint as the venue.

2. RIOC tea party for Blackwell Park renovation. Rosina Abramson, RIOC Vice President of Planning and Inter-Governmental Affairs, has continued her work on developing a master plan for the park. She held an informal "tea party" on July 15 to present Lee Weintraub of LWLA landscape architects, who will be working with a team of talented designers and community specialists, including Alyce Russo (former RIOC development director) of Schall & Russo Planning Works, BKSK Architects, Jane Clark Chermayeff, and other creative team members (some of whom designed the science playground at the Queens Children's Museum). Abramson says, "We hope, collectively, to develop a master plan incorporating community aspirations regarding the kind of recreation and pastoral area Blackwell Park can be". Great idea, and off to a good start.

3. Two steps forward, one step back on red bus schedule. The experiments in the red bus schedule have been successful in the late morning. The buses arrive and depart reliably and consistently (at Octagon: 9:55, 10:10, 10:25, etc.). Unfortunately, it appears that RIOC has discontinued this regular schedule. (I will investigate.) Although it is summer vacation for schools, I will continue to prod RIOC to work on experiments and improvements in the red bus schedule for the evening rush and nighttime.

4. RIOC eliminates 22% of Main Street parking, residents not consulted, school drop-off is impossible. One day last week, RIOC removed the parking spots in front of PS/IS 217 and made them No Stopping, No Standing, No Parking. That's 12 spots of the 55 available that affect the 6,000+ residents and contractors of the WIRE buildings. RIOC did not consult with the school. The head custodian, made aware of the parking loss, mused that RIOC should have had a town meeting to get community input. Steve Shane defended the actions as replacing signs that were previously stolen (photo evidence back to 2004 shows there were no restrictions) and as Department of Transportation (DOT) guidance (which he didn't cite) on making spots available to the Board of Education (PS 85 on 57th Street and Second Avenue still has muni-meter parking, contrary to Shane). In fact, RIOC already has 10 parking spots reserved for PS/IS 217 in the alley next to 2-4 River Road. RIOC has backtracked slightly; they've laser-printed a sign to tape over the existing No Standing sign during school hours. Now drop-off and pick-up are possible. In short: RIOC didn't consult with anyone, the school didn't ask for it, DOT doesn't require it, RIOC has already assigned school parking in the alley, and parking was already scarce on Main Street. How is RIOC serving the community?

5. RIRA town meeting on Public Safety. RIRA held a town meeting Wednesday night for community input on Public Safety. We had a good turnout, including PSD Director Guerra, his colleagues from the 19th and 114th precincts, a representative from the Manhattan District Attorney's office, and Assemblymember Micah Kellner. All noted that this kind of community forum was a good thing to do.

We had approximately 25 comments and detailed follow-up discussions: the May 30 Capobianco Field incident (the case was dismissed), an explanation of the Trespass Program in Eastwood (don't loiter), the question of a curfew for children (there is none), the legality of taking pictures of Public Safety (it is legal), why Public Safety officers don't respond to reports of drivers going through stop signs (officer needs to personally witness the infraction, not take the word of a resident).

At my request, Guerra started the evening with a presentation on the dos & don'ts of children and adults interacting with Public Safety. Initially, residents were miffed that they were being told how to behave. (They had complaints about Public Safety's behavior.) However, by the end of the meeting, Guerra's presentation made for a good reference point and a good reference document for everyone.

After the meeting, Fernando Martinez, RIOC's Vice President of Operations, suggested several collaborative task forces on Public Safety, transportation, etc., to include RIOC, RIRA (which includes all residents), and other stakeholders. This is a very good sign of cooperation, and I hope we can all take advantage of it.

6. RIRA Public Safety Committee Chair investigates May 30 baseball field incident. Erin Feely-Nahem, committee chair elected by the RIRA Common Council, has completed her investigation. Here is a summary of her findings:

— PSD Officer Payne tried to de-escalate the conflict, as reported by numerous witnesses.

— PSD Officer Toro escalated the conflict by continually threatening people with arrest.

— PSD Director Guerra's investigation was one-sided. He interviewed only PSD officers and no other witnesses, including island residents. Guerra did receive a statement from the off-island baseball team, but only in response to Guerra's phone request. "My officers are getting a raw deal here" — clearly a self-serving statement from Guerra.

— The initial conflict was not just an island resident hurling slurs, but also involved one of the members of the off-island team.

Here's my analysis. Director Guerra gets a D-minus on his community approach and his investigation of this incident.

Days after the event (past the heat of the moment), Guerra's attitude was, "Either you're with us [RIOC/PSD] or you're against us". That attitude makes it impossible to hear genuine criticism about his organization. Guerra advocates a policy to RIOC execs and the RIOC general counsel that can be summarized as, "We're not giving any information out — you'll have to FOIL your requests".

Feely-Nahem's investigation was hampered and obstructed by Shane and Guerra. They refused to participate in the review. Shane claimed there was some legal action by Feely-Nahem, but that was not true (see below). Shane believes that, because Feely-Nahem doesn't have law enforcement experience, she can't do the investigation. By Shane's logic, only a police officer can objectively investigate another officer's actions — likewise, only police officers are qualified to be jurors in criminal and police misconduct cases.

I interviewed Feely-Nahem to better understand this so-called legal issue RIOC was raising. On June 14, 2008 her son (without cause) was manhandled by PS officers. Guerra threatened her and her husband after the event: "I can still arrest your son [at any time for the next year]". After they filed an intent to claim, the harassment stopped. The claim expired June 14 of this year, so there was no pending legal issue between Feely-Nahem and RIOC. I asked Shane to verify this with his general counsel.

In response to RIRA's request to meet with him, Guerra said that he would not share the paperwork because it was confidential. But Guerra gave a copy to another resident, Ron Schuppert, a retired detective and former head of the RIRA Public Safety Committee, whom RIOC wanted for the RIRA investigation instead of Feely-Nahem, the elected community representative. Guerra's story and PSD's confidentially policy are inconsistent.

City Councilmember Jessica Lappin and State Assemblymember Micah Kellner have expressed concern about PSD's actions in the May 30 incident. Kellner is working on legislation to have a citizens' review board for state entities. Clearly, RIOC is unable to provide oversight and to investigate itself, as Guerra's one-sided analysis shows, and as was already acknowledged by last November's 94% favorable resident response to a referendum on a Citizens' Review Board. Shane and Guerra will be the poster children for new state legislation.

During the past couple of weeks, I was inspired by many residents' comments (none of which Shane or Guerra chose to hear). Uniformly, the residents provided complete details, including some who acknowledged their own and their neighbors' imperfect behavior. The honesty was refreshing; residents clearly understood what was at stake.

Although I have not yet had a chance to discuss this with my fellow RIRA Common Council members, here are my thoughts on RIOC/PSD staff involved. On Officer Payne: He acted professionally, which is consistent with my personal experience with him. On Officer Toro: I think he needs training on handling these kinds of situations. I can't suggest anything stronger because, without further background on this officer (which Guerra refused to supply), we don't know if Toro's actions were a one-time event in his life (and in the heat of the moment), a regular daily occurrence, or something in between.

On Director Guerra: He gets my harshest criticism. He knows what a proper review process should be (but chose a one-sided, self-serving approach), he knows how to conduct an investigation (but chose differently — something NYPD wouldn't do), and he is expert on the process (but chose not to use his expertise). Parroting Guerra's comments about Mr. Mansour's infraction: I believe Guerra is a good person, but had a lapse in judgment at this moment.

On RIOC President Shane: He certainly has the knowledge and experience to recognize the poor quality of Guerra's investigation, yet he accepted it.

RIOC has suspended an employee (an island resident and parent) because he asked Officer Toro not to arrest Mr. Mansour. The employee was asked to sign a statement and a waiver. At a weekend barbeque, if an employee of the City of New York had (even worse) a shouting match with a neighborhood NYPD officer, do you think on Monday the employee would be suspended from work and forced to sign legal paperwork in order to keep his job? Of course not.

Likewise, RIOC and PSD have their own conflicts of interest. A wheelchair-bound island resident getting on the red bus tried to flip up his chair, but fell backwards, cracking his head. I witnessed this and called Public Safety, which then called for an ambulance. While waiting, officers asked the driver why he didn't put down the ramp. The driver made a mistake. Rather than reporting this honestly, both PSD officers reported that the passenger refused the ramp — protecting a fellow RIOC employee, protecting RIOC from liability, and shifting the blame to the passenger, who was in no condition to object. We wouldn't have this conflict of interest if it were NYPD.

RIRA's Public Safety Committee will hold a meeting in August to discuss recommendations on policy, procedure, and actions, which will be presented to the full RIRA Common Council meeting on September 9. The public is welcome to attend. Feely-Nahem wants the RIRA committee to be the long-term repository of residents' complaints and to provide more transparency to the residents – a good idea.

Finally, regardless of my criticisms of Public Safety, I still give them respect, which they deserve.

The RIRA President's message was also published as the RIRA column in the 7/25/09 Main Street WIRE.

More on the July 22 Public Safety Town Hall Meeting here.

An update to item 4 on the removal of the parking spots in front of PS/IS 217. A July 24 message from Mr. Farance to RIOC:

Dear Steve Shane and Fernando Martinez

Today, at PS/IS 217 I saw the parking signs back to metered parking. Thank you for considering the residents' needs.

Parking Sign in front of PS/IS 217

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Town Hall Meeting - Good Dialogue With Honest Exchange Of Views Between Community and Public Safety Department

Image of Public Safety Director Guerra Addressing Town Hall Meeting

I thought Wednesday night's Roosevelt Island Public Safety Town Hall Meeting turned out to be a very positive experience for both the members of the community who attended as well as the Public Safety Department. The evening started with Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra giving a presentation on how the community should behave when interacting with Public Safety Officers.

Following the presentation, several community members initially expressed offense at what some perceived to be a lecture by Mr. Guerra on how they should behave rather than on how the Public Safety Officers should behave when interacting with the community. Mr. Guerra explained that his presentation was based upon what he was asked to speak about and Roosevelt Island Residents Association President (RIRA) Frank Farance, who organized the event, quickly stepped in to confirm that was the case.

There followed approximately 2 hours of back and forth questions and comments between community members and Mr. Guerra as well as responses from NYPD Police commanders from adjacent Queens and Manhattan precincts. Many of the complaints came from residents of Eastwood/ Roosevelt Landings who felt that their children and teenagers were being unduly harassed by Public Safety Officers. A representative of Urban America, the owner of Eastwood/ Roosevelt Landings defended the Public Safety Department in these instances saying that children and teenagers should not be hanging out in the hallways and stairwells of the building and that the Public Safety Department has been requested to enforce that policy.

Another contentious issue was the treatment by the Public Safety Department of the parent arrested during the Little League incident. We learned during the meeting that all charges were dropped against the parent.

We also learned that since Mr. Guerra has become Chief of the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department (about a year and a half) there have been 10 complaints filed against Public Safety Officers from over 7,000 calls for service and that 7 of these complaints have come from people who have been arrested. In addition, according to Mr. Guerra, 7 officers were asked to leave the Department because they were not willing to perform at the level required of them.

I asked Mr. Guerra how Roosevelt Island residents can make complaints against actions by Public Safety Officers. He replied:

Some folks choose to make complaints to me verbally, and can do so by calling me or coming in to see me in person. Others choose to lodge their complaints in writing, and can do so by filling out a Complaint Form and submitting it. That complaint will be investigated by the Integrity Control Officer (ICO). The last option is to lodge their complaint with the CCRB. A paid investigator will receive the complaint and forward it to the appropriate body.

The CCRB is the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The NYPD Commanders present at the meeting also said that their door is open as well if you wish to speak with them.

About the Public Safety Town Hall Meeting, Mr. Guerra commented:

I was happy to see so many residents in attendance at the meeting. I hope that my presentation was informative. The dialogue afterwards was healthy. Many people brought up valid points, but most just listened. Either way, I'm sure a lot was gained from the evening. I realize that there is still more work to be done and rest assured that I will give my best effort to improve relations between the residents and the Public Safety Officers here on the Island. I wish everyone an enjoyable Summer.

Assembly Member Micah Kellner was at the meeting,

Assembly Member Kellner Addressing PS Director Guerra at Town Hall Meeting

He issued the following comment:

Last night's meeting demonstrated why it's important that there be an independent and transparent mechanism for reviewing complaints about Public Safety. I am even more convinced now of the need for legislation that creates such oversight. The residents of Roosevelt Island deserve the same rights that others living in New York City currently access through the City's Civilian Complaint Review Board.

RIRA President Farance and Public Safety Director Guerra

RIRA President Frank Farance had these comments:

Folks-
A "CONTINUUM OF PUBLICITY"

I learned something Wednesday night watching Director Guerra's presentation: he spoke eloquently of a Continuum of Force as a variety of steps that increase or decrease as the situation demands. That phrase nicely codifies what I've being expressing myself to RIOC: A Continuum of Publicity. In short, if RIOC is unresponsive to residents and their needs, the degree of publicity escalates. And it can quickly decrease, too. Fernando Martinez offered to set up several task forces on transportation, parking, etc., and to involve the stakeholders. I'm happy to hear this and I'm sharing this immediately with RIRA Common Council members. Hopefully, we (RIOC, RIRA, other stakeholders) can quickly establish these collaborative task forces.

COMMENTS ON RIRA TOWN HALL MEETING ON PSD

As the Moderator at Wednesday's meeting, I felt it would be inappropriate to insert my own comments. However, I do have some observations/comments:

- In essence, a judge dismissed the charges, yet Director Guerra kept insisting still that "a crime still might have been committed". This society starts with the presumption of innocence, which is then adjudicated by judge/jury. It is troubling that the head of Public Safety is telling the community that law enforcement doesn't accept the finality of the courts when there is no Guilty conviction. Really, it's statements like this that quickly erase good will from Public Safety ... and they contribute towards the lessening of respect for Public Safety.

- I hope that Director Guerra recognized that the community was *not* supportive of the woman carrying a baseball bat who refused to drop it when directed by officers1. Further Town Hall meetings with Public Safety and the community will be helpful for improving the relationship. RIRA is happy to host them. Already I received a suggestion from one RIOC Board Director to have the ACLU make a presentation on our rights as citizens. I hope Public Safety will attend that meeting so we can all (law enforcement, defense attorneys, the community) have a meeting of the minds.

AN APOLOGY

After the close of Wednesday's meeting, Mr. Shane, Mr. Martinez, and I were having a conversation and I offered an apology, which I'd like to repeat in writing:

On 2009-06-03, I sent an E-mail with a Subject: line of "Report of abuse (torture?) at Public Safety". That was a poor choice of words. I made a mistake, I'm sorry.

Several readers of this earlier post on Public Safety Town Hall Meeting commented:

I attended the meeting last night and, while I did not ask any questions or give any comments, I thought the Public Safety Chief was very informative and the Community Interaction was productive. Hopefully, there will be more of these open dialogues, which can only help relations here on the Island we love.

And:

While I don't particularly like Farance and his ways, I thought he did a good job moderating the meeting. He gave everyone in the audience an opportunity to speak in order, and allowed the guest speakers their opportunities to respond. Good Meeting.

We also heard from the NYPD Commanders present that Roosevelt Island has a very low crime rate. All in all, it was a very positive meeting and hope that the dialogue between Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department and the community continues.

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Town Hall Meeting Tonight - Improved Interaction Between Community and Public Safety Dep't Sought

Image from RIOC

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be conducting a Public Safety Town Hall Meeting Tonight. Below is the Agenda.

TOWN HALL MEETING ON
PUBLIC SAFETY

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 PM
Place: Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street

AGENDA
1. Introduction

2. Presentation by Public Safety Department (15 minutes)

3. Discussion on Public Safety (up to 9:15 PM)
- Compliments and Complaints
- Questions, Answers, and Discussion

4. Discussion of Loss of Parking Spaces in front of PS/IS 217 (15 minutes)

5. Adjourn promptly at 9:30 PM

RIOC Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra will be in attendance and forwards the following message:

I have been asked to speak on the topic of Juveniles and Adults interacting with Public Safety. I will be providing a Powerpoint Presentation and host a question and answer period. I'm looking forward to meeting with the concerned residents on the island.

I am sure that the May incident involving the arrest of the little league parent will be one of the issues discussed. Mr. Guerra prepared a report on the incident but RIOC prefers not to make the report public. RIOC President Steve Shane explains RIOC's position in his June 24 message (item 9):

...While the unfortunate events of May 30 on the ballfield are now receding into history, I would like to make clear that the matter has been thoroughly investigated and vetted internally. To answer concerns about RIOC’s possible prejudice looking into its own actions, we have invited an independent member of the community, RIRA’s former head of its public safety committee, to conduct an outside review of the matter. RIRA, unfortunately, has declined this offer, citing the gentleman's former law enforcement officer status (thus being familiar with arrest procedures) resulting in his potential prejudice. RIRA prefers instead to have such inquiry undertaken by the present head of its public safety committee, who has no law enforcement experience and had recently been personally involved in a dispute involving a member of her family with Public Safety. RIOC has respectfully declined such a review.

Commenting on this incident, Assembly Member Micah Kellner, while acknowledging that he did not witness the event, states:

... I expect the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and the Public Safety Department (PSD) to take steps to ensure that PSD officers are properly trained to respond constructively to disputes and act as mediators and not belligerents. In the longer term, I am working on legislation to create a civilian review complaint board that will bring community oversight to police officers employed by public agencies, ensuring greater accountability on the part of PSD and other similar security forces...

... On June 4th, Council Member Jessica Lappin and I wrote to RIOC President Steve Shane, expressing our shared concerns on these matters and requesting a meeting to further discuss the incident. I have posted a copy of that letter in the Publications section of my website. I will continue to keep you updated on this serious matter.

Assembly Member Kellner and Council Member Lappin's letter is here.

Or Click on image to read

There are other community perspectives on the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department as well. Mr. Shane forwards the following message:

I am forwarding this letter as a different example of PSD's standing in the community.

The message from Cynthia Ahn of Roosevelt Nails follows:

I am writing this letter to express my special gratitude to RIOC, your leadership, and the Public Safety officers who work to make this island a safer and better place.

As you know, I am running a nail salon on Main Street. There have been incidents in the past where had a Public Safety officer not been passing by to notice a broken window in my storefront or a leaking pipe, my business and livelihood could have been seriously hurt. I recall their dedication to service as they stood watch at the front doors of my salon until the necessary measures had been taken to fix the respective situations.

When I have elderly customers who have trouble walking home alone, I call Public Safety, and the officers arrive promptly and ready to assist. I have yet to find any other community in New York City where the residents receive this kind of personal service.

Summer evenings on a bench with a friend near the river are spent peacefully and in security, because the Public Safety patrol car can often be seen passing by.

I am very proud to live on Roosevelt Island, where every time I step foot on the island soil, I feel comforted and at home, as though the entire island was my backyard.

Once again, I am grateful to you and to the Public Safety officers of this town.

In order for tonight's Public Safety Town Hall Meeting to be productive, I hope it is not going to degenerate into a venue for bashing or blaming either the community or Public Safety Department.

RIRA President Reports On Blackwell Park Plan, Red Bus Schedule/Signage, Public Safety Investigation & Town Hall Meeting

Image of June 2009 RIRA Meeting

RIRA President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

1. RIOC-RIRA collaboration on Blackwell Park. At the June 17 RIRA town hall meeting, Rosina Abramson, RIOC Vice President of Planning and Inter-Governmental Affairs, led an interactive discussion on RIOC's intention to remodel the park. RIOC is seeking the community's input on developing a master plan (not a blueprint). Abramson's first step is to identify the stakeholders. RIRA's committee chairs will convene meetings over the summer. Residents are welcome to participate in the discussions. Meeting announcements will be posted on kiosks.

2. Ongoing progress on RIOC-RIRA collaboration on red bus schedule. Following the improvement of segment #2 (late morning, 9:55 to noon), RIOC is now experimenting with segment #1, the morning rush. Segment #1 is more complex because three routes operate simultaneously (Octagon Local, Octagon Express, and Firehouse Local), and Main Street traffic is more congested. According to Fernando Martinez, RIOC Vice President of Operations, they are testing a single synchronization point at Octagon (rather than both Octagon and the tram), which means that service is likely to be regular at the southbound stops during the morning rush. There are still some quirks, so we are trying variations. The current versions will need refinement once school resumes in September. Meanwhile, it's nice to see steady progress in improving the red bus schedule.

3. Assemblyman Kellner provides funding for red bus signs. Mr. Kellner has allocated $10,000 to RIRA for bus arrival displays that will indicate the number of minutes until the next bus. RIOC will install the signs.

4. RIRA Public Safety Committee. Erin Feely-Nahem, elected committee chair by the RIRA Common Council, will lead RIRA's investigation into the May 30 baseball field incident, and report back to RIRA and the community. She would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who witnessed events at the field. She's at 917-939-1178 or, by e-mail, at efeelynahem@aol.com. Confidentiality will be honored.

5. RIRA Town Hall Meeting on Public Safety. RIRA will hold a town hall meeting on July 22 from 8-9:30 p.m. for community input on Public Safety. The agenda will be posted on kiosks prior to the meeting. Public Safety will participate in the meeting, and has been asked to give a presentation on how adults and children should interact with officers.

6. RIRA experiment on Town Hall meetings are a success. For the past six months, in advance of RIOC board meetings, RIRA has held monthly town hall meetings (separate from RIRA's monthly Common Council meetings) that enabled residents to participate in community discussion of items on the board agenda and other topics. RIOC has helped by encouraging participation of their officers, directors, and staff. The events have been moderated, informed, and civil, and they have started and ended on time. The experiment is a success, and the meetings will be a regular occurrence.

The RIRA President's message was also published as the RIRA column in the 6/27/09 Main Street WIRE.