Report From RIRA Planning Committee - Long Term Impact Of Cornell Tech On Roosevelt Island Facilities, Air Quality Monitoring, Bike/Pedestrian Signage, Southpoint Park Initiative, Water Quality And Meeting With RIOC President

Below is Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Planning  Committee report
 

Image From RIRA

to the June 1 Common Council meeting submitted by Committee Chair Dennis Lawson:

RIRA – PLANNING COMMITTEE Summary Meeting Minutes Notes, May 25, 2016

... The Committee had six items on its agenda: 1) Update on long term impact of Cornell Tech on RI facilities; 2) Update on follow‐up to Air quality monitoring initiative; 3) Update on RIOC immediate/future plans for bike/pedestrians signage; 4) Follow‐up to Southpoint Park planning meeting of 28 April; 5) Water quality on the Island; 6) Any other business.

1) Update on long term impact of Cornell Tech on RI facilities

The RIRA Planning committee Chair met with Andrew Winters, Senior Director of Capital Projects, Cornell Tech, and Jane Swanson, Assistant Director of Government & Community Relations, Cornell Tech on 19 May 2016 at Cornell Tech offices. He outlined that the RIRA Planning committee is trying to assess how Cornell Tech might affect existing RI facilities, including vehicle traffic and parking, sport facilities, biking routes, children playground.

Andrew Winters confirmed that Cornell had conceived their project on the island with a view to become an integral part of the RI community, rather than establishing a separate self‐contained campus. Accordingly, he stated that there should be 1600 students and staff at Cornell Tech by 2018. 50% of these are expected to reside on RI. Most Cornell Tech students however will be one‐year students in their 20s, including 40% foreigners sponsored by their tech companies to complete a masters’ degree. There will be 500 studio type residences for students and 16 apartments for faculty members on campus. Therefore, there will be only few families and children on campus and no pressure on RI existing playgrounds.

They will have a fitness room on campus and outside gym equipment for Cornell Tech affiliates also available to the RI community. They expect to have access to Sportspark and would be ready to contribute to the renovation of the structure, while avoiding to put too much pressure on the current residents use of facility. Their discussions on this matter are on‐going with RIOC.

They will have 40 parking spots underground for Cornell staff and students. There will be another 86 RIOC‐managed paying public parking spots along the road around the campus. They limited their own parking facilities on purpose to dissuade their affiliates to drive to RI. On the contrary, they will favor and encourage public transportation, including biking. They are a primary sponsor of the upcoming ferry service and committed $500,000 a year for 5 years from 2017 for that purpose. Lastly, given their schedule, students will commute at different times of the day not necessarily at rush hours.

2) Update on follow‐up to Air quality monitoring initiative

The RIRA Planning committee Chair updated the committee on his discussions with Cornell on this matter. He outlined the status of the RIRA‐led AQM initiative to Andrew Winters and Jane Swanson and difficulty to find funding to implement it. He congratulated Cornell for the manner in which they handle air quality at the construction site. He informed Cornell representatives of RIRA interest in possibly retaining Cornell existing AQM system once the construction is concluded to monitor air quality on the southern end of the island where pollution is more likely as a result of the Queensborough bridge traffic and FDR. Without committing, Andrew Winters stated that Cornell would certainly be amicable to considering the request by RI community to retain their AQM system post‐2018. He also indicated that the system requires daily expert management. The RIRA Planning committee Chair expressed appreciation for the Cornell’s consideration and suggested some arrangements might be found between RIRA and RIOC for third party support to manage the AQM system, as RIOC is interest in environment protection.

3) Update on RIOC immediate/future plans for bike/pedestrian signage

The RIRA Planning committee Chair informed the committee that he met Susan Rosenthal, RIOC Acting CEO & President on 2 May 2016 and presented her a series of issues on the planning committee agenda (see annex 1). The RIOC President approved the suggestion that marking and signs on the promenades for bike/pedestrian traffic safety would improve safety and could be implemented immediately. The RIRA Planning committee Chair, RIOC President and RIOC Transportation General Manager Cyril Opperman had a subsequent field visit on the West promenade. The RIOC President promised that bike/pedestrian lanes, yield markings, and slow down signs would be put in place as soon as possible. The Planning committee Chair informed the committee that he would attend a meeting with RIOC on 27 May 2016 to discuss bike lane markings on the promenades.

With regard to longer term bike paths development on the island, the RIOC President confirmed that an overall island bike plan had already been designed with Bike New York and would be implemented once construction on the island would be completed by 2018.

Taking note of the lack of information available to bikers on the island, the committee agreed that Frank Farance would draft a Tips for Bikers on RI for review by the committee.

4) Follow‐up to Southpoint Park planning Community Advisory meeting of 28 April 2016;

The Planning committee Chair updated the committee on the outcome of RIOC‐led 28 April 2016 on Southpoint Park planning initiative meeting. The Fitzgerald & Haliday Inc (FHI) a well‐established landscaping design company has been hired by RIOC to redesign Southpoint Park and hospital ruins, as per RI residents’ views. An iterative process of design is led by FHI through interactive and outreach meetings/events with RI residents on 14 and 26 May and 11 June, on‐line survey and public Community Advisory meetings. The Advisory Community committee composed of RI associations serves as liaison with the community. The process should be completed and a project designed by January 2017. During the 28 April meeting a very wide range of ideas were raised. The RIRA Planning committee discussed the consultation process and decided to dedicate specific time during its next meeting to narrow down the number of proposals that could be proposed by RIRA to the Community Advisory committee.

5) Water quality on the Island

Some concerns have been raised by RI residents about the quality of tap water and threat of lead in the plumbing. Concerns were also expressed about potential terrorist threats on water sources. The committee recommended agreed that residents concerned by the quality of their tap water should use rapid individual water quality tests easily available. The Planning committee Chair will reach out to DEP to request a broader assessment of the RI water.

6) Any other business

The committee agreed to discuss parking‐related issues (metered parking duration and location, reserved parking spots, resident vs non‐residents use of public parking spots, etc...), as well as the new ramp for bikes to be connected to the helix by RIOC and rearrangement of the existing helix RI exit circulation rearrangements.

And annex to RIRA Planning Committee Report:

David Lawson, RIRA Planning Committee Chair meeting with Susan Rosenthal, Acting RIOC President & CEO Summary notes – 2 May 2016

The RIRA Chair of the Planning committee, David Lawson, met with Susan Rosenthal, Acting RIOC President &CEO, on 2 May 2016 and discussed the following:

1) Governance/communication
The RIRA Planning committee Chair and the RIOC President agreed that RIOC and RIRA had only to benefit from each other and should entertain a constructive dialogue. The RIOC President’s agenda is solely designed to make the island a better place for its residents.

They agreed that the RIOC website could be more interactive to allow residents to provide feedback and ideas.

The RIOC President proposed to the RIRA Planning Committee Chair to meet monthly to discuss RIOC plans and for RIRA to provide advice, share concerns and constructive recommendations/ideas.

They agreed that such on‐going dialogue should only be constructive and problem solving.

2) RIOC’s agenda

The RIOC President informed the RIRA Planning committee Chair of the immediate priorities on her agenda for the island:

• Patchwork on the helix
• Tram fixing
• Motorgate repair
• Sportspark, roof, pool and boiler fixing
• Ferry MoU
• Bike helix ramp/signs
• Seawall benchmarks
• Island small parks management
• Repairs at the cultural center
• Kiosks at tram and subway stations

 3) RIRA Planning committee agenda

The RIRA Planning committee Chair presented the issues for consideration by RIOC

• The RIOC President approved the suggestion that markings and signs on the promenades for bike/pedestrian traffic would enhance safety and could be implemented immediately;
• The RIOC President confirmed that an island emergency plan existed and approved the idea that it be shared with residents;
• The RIOC President and RIRA Planning committee Chair agreed that Cornell was acting very respectfully with regard to the community and expressed appreciation for Cornell’s management of community relations. They also agreed that Cornell could be involved in future developments on the island as an active contributor the community. With regard to environment protection, the RIOC President confirmed that she was ensuring that the new ferry service would not increase pollution levels. She agreed to the RIRA Planning committee Chair’s suggestion to request Cornell to maintain their air quality monitoring system in place to monitor air quality on the Southern part of the island even after the site construction is completed.
• The RIOC President confirmed that she would check on compatibility between the recycling program and existing AVAC system.
• The RIRA Planning committee Chair informed the RIOC President that some concerns had been expressed about the water quality on the island, and that further reflection would needed within the committee before he could get back to her with more details.
• With regard to long term planning and protection of the green areas on the island, the RIRA Planning committee Chair congratulated the RIOC President for the initiative on South Point park and enquired about potential plans for the /lighthouse Park. The RIOC President explained that no planning could take place until NY City Hall had shared their plans for the NY City managed‐Coler Hospital.

The Acting RIOC President & CEO confirmed that she would get back to the RIRA Planning committee Chair on the issues discussed.

Here is the June 1 RIRA Common Council discussion of the RIRA Planning Committee Report.

RIRA Island Services Committee Reports On Roosevelt Island Tram Station Elevators, Sportspark, Southtown Commercial Trash, New Public Library & Enhanced Seniors Center Services

Below is Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Island Services Committee (ISC)

 Image From RIRA

report to the RIRA February  Common Council: 

RIRA – ISLAND SERVICES COMMITTEE (ISC)

REPORT TO COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – 2/3/16

Tram Elevators – The design of the new elevators is continuing. We have no estimate from RIOC on when the design will be finished or when an RFP will be issued. RIOC is still maintaining that the new elevators will be in operation by the autumn, 2016. ISC’s estimate is that the elevators will not be in operation until winter, 2017. We hope we are wrong.

Meanwhile, the old elevator experienced only some minor interruption of service in the last two months, improving on the performance in the prior months.

Sportspark – ISC met with the RIOC staff responsible for Sportspark to review our latest report (December, 2015) on the conditions of the facilities and programs. It was a good meeting with a free exchange of the various issues ISC cited. Many of the problems with the facilities will be corrected. However, a number of major problems will require projects to remove the problem. Most of the needed projects are in the 2016‐2017 RIOC capital budget. However, so far, only the Sportspark HVAC and pool projects have been authorized by the RIOC Board.

Commercial Trash in Southtown – We’ve achieved about 95% of what we tried to accomplish. A substantial improvement in how the trash is handled came in November when Related assigned a porter from 425 Main St. to clean and straighten out the trash yard on a daily (7 days) basis. We don’t believe we can or need to do much more. So, ISC has deactivated this issue.

New Public Library – The NY Public Library held a public meeting with residents on 1/14/16 to give a detailed update on the new library project. Most of the information was featured in the 1/23/16 WIRE. The new library is expected to open in late 2017 or early 2018.

Enhanced Services at Senior Center – ISC is compiling a comprehensive list of possible services and programs that could be made available to the Senior Center. After the list is completed, ISC will meet with Senior Center officers.

Respectfully Submitted,

Aaron Hamburger, ISC Chair

RIRA ISC members provides a brief review of what they characterize as a very good meeting with RIOC Staff about Sportspark conditions



during the February 3 RIRA Common Council.

Full coverage of the NYPL plans for new Roosevelt Island branch, including video of January 14 Public Meeting, available at this previous post.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association Community Update - Committees Work On Tram Elevator Status, Easter Egg Hunt, Cherry Blossom Festival, Relay For Life, Hands Only CPR Training, Skills Exchange & More

Below is the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA)

Image Of 2014-16 RIRA Common Council (RIRA President Jeff Escobar Kneeling Wearing Suit)

Community Update, formerly known as the RIRA President's Report.

Friends and Neighbors – With Spring almost in sight, we continue to battle freezing temperatures by day and blustery, stormy winters by night. Although recent forecasts hint at 50 degree temperatures on the way, it is hard to believe that we will be shedding our winter layers of clothing anytime soon. Despite the wintry weather, however, RIRA has been hard at work laying the groundwork for the upcoming spring, while addressing some of the Island's most pressing issues. Here is a taste of what RIRA and its committees have focused on these past couple of weeks:

Tram Elevator Update from Island Services Committee

Together with the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network, the RIRA Island Services Committee has been diligently working on addressing the long standing issue of prolonged out-of-service elevators on the Manhattan side of the Tram. For those who do not know, for the past year, both of the elevators have been intermittently placed completely out of service for prolonged periods, the most recent being the last two weeks. This unreliable and, often times unannounced, status makes life for many residents particularly difficult, especially for those parents and child caregivers with strollers, seniors and the mobility disabled. Whenever the elevators were placed out-of-service, neither RIOC nor the tram operators provided assistance to those unable to get down the stairs, nor was an alternate means of access to and from Manhattan made available. The situation had been aggravated by the winter weather conditions and those weekends and evenings when no Manhattan bound F-Train service was available from Roosevelt Island. With the street level elevator at the 63rd St/Lex Ave Subway station out of service at least until May 31, 2015, Island residents who rely on the Tram and Subway elevator system to give them access on and off the Island have been left with no good alternative.

Since last year, we have been pressing RIOC for a solid and long term solution to both the current state of the Tram elevators and to their eventual replacement. So far, we have been successful in reaching the following sub-goals: (1) the Board approval by RIOC to replace the aged and faulty elevator system as part of the 2014/2105 budget, (2) the replacement of the Tram elevator door and the repair of the “red lift”, (3) the consistent placement of signage informing residents when one or both elevators units are out of service, both at the RI side of the Tram and at the Manhattan station, and (4) for when both the Tram elevator and the red lift simultaneously go out of service, the immediate provision of Red Bus Shuttle Service to and from Manhattan until at least one unit is repaired.

Unfortunately, regarding the provision of Red Bus shuttle service to and from Manhattan, RIOC has failed to keep its promise to address the community’s needs. The Red Bus Shuttle Service, when provided, has only been provided to date on weekdays. We urge RIOC to change that practice so that, whenever and so long as both elevator units are out of service, Red Bus Shuttle Service is also provided consistent with the Tram’s schedule, including on evenings and especially on weekends. In addition, we have asked that, during these times, a Public Safety staff member be stationed on the Manhattan side of the Tram to assist residents with mobility issues.

Moreover, we have demanded that at least one of the elevator units be immediately repaired, so that the constant outages of service cease. We sincerely hope RIOC will do as promised and press the servicing company to either repair the presently out-of-service elevator quickly or hire another company to install a temporary moving platform next to the Red lift. As many have noted, both elevators are very old (they should have been replaced much sooner) and the replacement parts have proven hard to get. Moreover, with the constant break-downs and the overall replacement of the elevators now predicted to be completed in 2016 (at the earliest), we have urged RIOC or order all of the replacements parts now and store them appropriately so that the servicing company can use them right away for any repairs when necessary rather than having residents waiting for weeks to have at least one unit back in service. We continue to work for a quick and permanent solution to this very inconvenient situation.

RIRA Social, Cultural and Education Committee (SC&E Committee) Program Agenda for 2015

The Social, Cultural and Educational Committee of RIRA has defined this term as a celebration of this great community. Our goal is to create programs and events that give islander opportunities to enjoy the island and get to know each other better. We have tasked ourselves with a really ambitious goal we want to connect and unify this wonderfully divers community. We can only do this with your help support and participation.

Which of these events interests you? You can help out, in the planning of the event or on the day of the event itself. From community organizing to the stuffing of donated give-aways and hiding plastic eggs at the Easter Egg event, any and all community volunteerism is strongly encouraged.

Roosevelt Island Easter Egg Hunt: The Roosevelt Island Easter Egg Hunt, a favorite event in our community, returns this year to Roosevelt Island on Saturday, March 28th. 10:30 -1:30 pm at Manhattan Park please mark your calendars as space will be limited and pre-registration will be required. This year, we will endeavor to encourage our Island children to become good citizens by taking only a few eggs, so that everyone gets at least one this year. We will distribute books to encourage reading, have family games for the older children, and once again have Easter Bonnet Making for all. The Reading Bunny will be back in his tree this year, and we will have a very special guest return this year. We ask for children's book donations from Islanders, as in the past. The event is designed for children up to the age of 8.

Roosevelt Island Cherry Blossom Festival: The Roosevelt Island Cherry Blossom Festival is back this year!! Scheduled for Saturday, April 25, from 11:00 am-4:00 pm. We will focus this year on celebrating our Roosevelt Island community, the Festival’s tradition of spectacular performances, beautiful Cherry Trees and a chance to come out and enjoy your community. This year’s festivities will be kicked off with a community-wide picnic at Southpoint Park to meet your neighbors. Activities will help build deep community connections amongst the Island’s different age groups, everyone from young adults, 20's and 30's year olds, families to seniors during the event to and get to know each other.

Relay For Life: We plan do to our part to see that, for the 3 year, Roosevelt Island's Relay For Life is the most successful one yet; Islanders either participate in the day's events, pledge a donation or do both.

Relay For Life is a national fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer research and services. Each team member solicits donations to raise money. At the event, each team member takes a turn walking the track. The Relay For Life event is scheduled for Saturday, June 20 from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm at the Octagon soccer field; participants are welcome to walk or run for any part of the day. It’s a fun day, with a lot of community spirit, entertainment and great raffles! Our goal is to have a RIRA Team and to also have a representative from each building or district on the island build their own team. Family and friends are welcome join any team.



The following programs are already underway:

Hands Only CPR Training: The Hands Only CPR skill training program returns for its second year of classes. Having trained more than 400 Roosevelt Islanders in the life saving skill of hands only CPR, our goal this year will be to train as many Roosevelt Islanders as possible, as well as to grow our team of trainers. Hands Only CPR does save lives, and we want the wonderful people of Roosevelt Island to stand out as a community who cares, and is ready to care, for others. A calendar of classes will be posted on the RIRA website and Facebook page.



Roosevelt Island Skills Exchange: The Roosevelt Island Skills Exchange (RISE) aims to provide an opportunity for residents who have a certain or unique skill to impart that skill to other residents who would like to learn it. Our Island has people with a rich array of teachable skills that includes many languages, styles of cuisine, work skills and hobbies. Through RISE, Islanders can earn RISE credits from teaching a skills course, which then can be used to take a skills class from another skilled Islanders. The skills courses will be offered online with full descriptions of teachers, schedules, locations, course offerings and expectations. There will be skills discounts for young people and seniors, as well as systematic evaluations of courses to help ensure quality. A forum will also be provided for participants to request a skills topic of interest that another in the community may be able to offer. This is a new way to get to know your Island neighbor, while learning a little on the way!



Looking ahead, we plan two more events:

Celebration of Lights: We are planning the first ever Celebration of Lights in November of this year. Details will be forthcoming, including the planned festive fundraising dinner as well as activities for community participation.

RIRA Showcase: We hope to again bring you our RIRA Showcase where members of Roosevelt Island take the opportunity to perform and share their entertainment talents with the community. 



Remember, these events and programs happen because you volunteer. Please officially participate in and join any of our planned events by writing to us at SCE@riraonline.com and let us know how you would like to help! Invite your neighbors and members of your community organizations to also get involved. So please, reach out! Any and all help is appreciated, and we can’t wait to see all of you at one, some or all of our planned events!


RIRA contributors to the update are:

Jeffrey Escobar, President
Aaron Hamburger, Chair, Island Services committee
Eva Bosbach, member ISC
Lynne Strong Shinozaki, Chair, Social, Cultural & Educational Committee
Anthony Longo, member SC&E
Rossana Ceruzzi, member SC&E
John Dougherty, member SC&E
Maria Newkirk, member SC&E
Sharon Williams, member SC&E
Lydia Tang, member SC&E
Julia Palermo, member SC&E

The next monthly meeting of the RIRA Common Council is Wednesday April 1.

Report From Roosevelt Island Residents Association President Jeff Escobar - You're Invited To Join RIRA Planning, Communications, Services, Housing, Governance & Other Committees, Happy Thanksgiving Too

  Image Of 2014-16 RIRA Common Council (RIRA President Jeff Escobar Kneeling Wearing Suit)

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

Friends and Neighbors,

At the December 3, 2014 Common Council meeting, the Common Council will be reconstituting its committees, as well as electing and seating each committee’s chairs. The bulk of the work that the new Common Council will do this term will be completed in these committees. As has been reported in the past, any member of RIRA – and by virtue of one’s residency on the Island, every resident is automatically a member of RIRA – can serve on a committee. Here is a quick glimpse of some of what the committees currently have on this term’s agenda:

The Communications Committee is undertaking an overhaul of the website www.RIRAonline.com. The goal is to transform it to a useful resource for residents seeking current information about activities and groups on Roosevelt Island, and to serve as an electronic repository for official documents. The committee will also be undertaking an initiative to use social media and other forms of electronic publication to keep Island Residents apprised in “real-time” of the ongoing activities of the Island. Residents who are skilled in web development and writing are invited to contact the current Communications Committee chair Janet Falk at janetlfalk@yahoo.com for more details.

The Planning Committee this near term will be largely focused on infrastructure and transportation safety. With the advent of the Cornell campus coming online to full construction-mode in 2015, coupled with the tragic accident involving one of our neighbors who collided with a Red Bus, infrastructure and transportation safety will be the focus as RIRA works to find real solutions for the Island. Recently, the group reported its thorough discussion of the lighting and roadways where bicycle traffic proceeds; bicycle and pedestrian use of the promenades vs. Main Street; and the role of Public Safety in issuing violations for failure to yield and observe stop signs. During just that short discussion, there was general agreement that a traffic light should be installed at the base of the helix; “sharrows” or shared roadway arrows should be painted in the promenade roads; and lighting must be improved at all crosswalks. Pending further research and study, a resolution(s) prepared by this Committee will be submitted to the Common Council to be recommended to RIOC and all City public agencies.

As Hudson Related finishes work on its seventh tower, with the eight and ninth towers waiting in the wings, in 2015 the Planning Committee, Island Services Committee and the RIRA President will be calling for a number of Town Hall meetings and hearings with Hudson Related, RIOC, the City and Island Residents and Stakeholders to study the impacts – including environmental, social and economic impacts – that the construction of the seventh and remaining towers will have on the Island as it struggles with the construction of the Cornell Campus. Similarly, the Main Street Retail Advisory Committee will be pushing for the planning and completion of the lease-up of the remaining retail spaces on Main Street in 2015, setting forth their recommendations for the currently empty storefronts.

The above is just a glimpse of the work and initiatives that the RIRA Common Council Committees will be undertaking this new term. From Government Relations and Housing, to SC&E (Social, Cultural and Education) and Public Safety, there exists a committee which is calling for you, as an Island Resident, to come and serve. Interested in joining a committee or finding out more information? Attend the next RIRA Common Council meeting on Wednesday, December 3rd at 8:00pm in the Good Shepherd Center, or reach out and contact RIRA President Jeff Escobar at jeffrey.escobar@gmail.com.

Turning from service on RIRA Committees to service on the Common Council, an Orientation for New Representatives was held on Thursday, November 20. Topics included procedures of working within committees and bringing motions to the Common Council for discussion, as well as answering questions of new members. In addition, a presentation was made by Mickey Rindler, Chair of the Ethics Committee, on the recent requirements of New York State regarding disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, as well as a presentation by Lynne Shinozaki, a past SC&E Committee Chair, and Sherie Helstien, RIRA Vice-President, on what it means to serve on the Common Council and work being completed by committees.

If you are interested in serving on the RIRA Common Council, which meets monthly, there are still a few seats on the Octagon, Manhattan Park, Southtown and Roosevelt Landings delegations. Take the opportunity to perform direct advocacy by representing your building neighbors on the Common Council. Please reach out to either RIRA President Jeff Escobar at jeffrey.escobar@gmail.com or Aaron Hamburger, Chair of the Nominations Committee, at ashamburger33@gmail.com for more information. 



Lastly, as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, the RIRA Common Council wishes to extend a joyous Happy Thanksgiving from our families to yours. Please take a moment to look back and reflect on the blessings of this past year, as well as remember those in our community who are less fortunate and in need. Whether through a donation to a local food pantry, handing out food at our City’s overburdened shelters, or pitching in at the dinner at the Senior Center, hopefully each of us will find a way to help everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Your RIRA Common Council

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 Roosevelt Island Residents Association President Matt Katz - Roosevelt Island Day, Blood Drive, RIOC Directors Conversation, Cornell Relationship and Elections - He Will Not Seek Another Term As RIRA President

Below is Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Matt Katz report to the June RIRA Common Council. Among the issues Mr. Katz discussed were:

• Upcoming Roosevelt Island Day On Saturday June 9,
• Blood Donation Drive Taking Place on Roosevelt Island Day - 62 pledges so far,
• Recent RIOC Directors meeting with residents and hope that it continues in the future
• RIOC Meeting On Red Bus Route,
• Residents relationship with Cornell - Should RIRA abandon the Silicon Island Coalition Community Benefits Agreement process and establish dialogue with Cornell on its own,
• RIOC Board of Directors election in November and
• RIRA Common Council election in November

Mr. Katz also announced that he would not be seeking another term as RIRA President or as a member of RIRA's Common Council. Mr. Katz, who has served 4 terms as RIRA President, said that it was time to turn over leadership of RIRA to new people, new voices and new skill sets.

Mr. Katz should be thanked for all the time and effort he has spent trying to make Roosevelt Island a better place to live. One need not agree with Mr. Katz on any particular issue to acknowledge that he has helped make Roosevelt Island a better place to live for the residents.

I thank him.

You Tube Video of RIRA President's Report

New Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Matthew Katz Reports To The Community - He's Back

RIRA President Matthew Katz Speaking At November 2010 Common Council Meeting

Newly elected Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Matthew Katz sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. From Mr. Katz:

November 6, 2010

I’m back. Again.

The campaigning is over and it’s time to get to work. The RIRA Common Council is blessed with the largest turnout of delegates in our history, thanks to the efforts of Nominating Committee Chair, Aaron Hamburger. In addition, you have been offered three Candidates’ Nights plus the Great Debate between me and former President, Frank Farance, to help decide your vote. This and the professionally conducted fifteen hours of Election Day were courtesy of long-time Election Committee Chair, Joyce Mincheff, and we owe her and her crew of poll workers a vote of thanks. My thanks to all who voted for me, and especially for the record turnout of voters who supported RIRA by casting their ballots. The powers that be pay attention when we vote in significant numbers.

I checked back to see what I wrote after my last three presidential campaigns and I think it’s worth plagiarizing my November 18, 2006 RIRA Column: Many friends and neighbors asked if I was nuts for running again or whether I was simply a masochist. While accepting the possibility of insanity in the family, I did have reasons for wanting to take on this two-year task along with a new Common Council. Four years later, this still rings true. Roosevelt Island is in transition, with a new RIOC President, a RIOC Board of Directors composed of seven (out of nine) Island residents and a new Governor, Andrew Cuomo, to be sworn in next January. There are many issues in which I have participated that hang in the balance: Housing and the potential end of Mitchell- Lama subsidies, additional residential development and the strains on infrastructure and transportation that will result, retail stores and restaurants and the community’s input into the Master Lease, and the continuing development of our parks and open spaces. I want to be a part of that.

I also said this: At this point, I’d like to plagiarize—from myself---several statements from previous RIRA columns. In my first column, dated November 19, 2000, I said, “Will my writing be biased, opinionated and subjective? Y’betcha!” That won’t change. In my [last] column, dated November 6, 2004 I said, “During the first RIRA debate in 2000 a prescient questioner asked me how much time I would devote to the task [should I be elected]. Ruffled, I answered, ‘As much time as it takes.’ Little did I know how many hours every week that would entail.” I now know very well how consuming the RIRA presidency can be. Again, my answer hasn’t changed. However, let me explain what the RIRA Column is, and isn’t:

This column is not an official duty of the RIRA President; never has been. It is the result of an agreement between the last three RIRA Presidents and the editor of this newspaper to print whatever that President wishes to write, unedited and uncensored, and the same deal holds true for the RIOC Column. While the name “RIRA Column” may be misleading, it is the editor’s choice; I’ve been comfortable with it during my six years writing the column. Neither my predecessors nor I have vetted our words with the RIRA Common Council; you wouldn’t want to read a column written by committee. It will be informative but chatty, and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Here’s a story from the election: I was campaigning at the subway station last Monday evening, when a young man confronted me angrily about the material I had posted on the pillar just outside the station. He said that the 425 Main Street tenants’ committee had prevented him from using that space for his own purposes and he resented my use of the pillar to advance my election hopes. Now, I think the residents of every building should be provided with open bulletin boards where they may post anything they choose. However, he informed me that this committee had regularly removed my signage from that spot. I reminded him that the pillar belonged to and was the responsibility of the Transit Authority, not any Southtown building, and that the TA had expressed no objections to allowing me to utilize their pillar like one of the Main Street kiosks. The gentleman described my posters as “garbage,” stating that it “messed up” the area. I said to him (and now, to you) that American democracy is messy and raucous, and that folks had been putting up campaign signs on anything that wasn’t moving for two hundred years. It’s how we’ve always chosen our leaders, and trying to stem that tide is like trying to hold back a tsunami with a teaspoon. The electoral process in this country can be intrusive and even embarrassing some times, but it beats every other system hands down. So please, temper your impatience with campaign extravagance; embrace it! On the other hand, I don’t think I got his vote.

So let’s get down to business. The first meeting of the RIRA Common Council, Class of 2010-2012, met this past Wednesday. We elected the two remaining Officers of the corporation, Russell Fields as Treasurer and Sherie Helstien as Secretary of the Council. Both have served in this capacity before. Many of you know that Sherie is my wife, and served as Secretary during the six years of my previous administrations. This is a labor-intensive job, especially keeping the minutes--the permanent record of our meetings--up-to-date and accurate. It’s so convenient to be able to nudge her in bed when I need to discuss agendas!

When I was first elected RIRA President in 2000, I initiated a series of orientations for the new Members and we will continue this practice. This is an opportunity to provide the delegates with our basic documents; the RIRA Constitution and Bylaws, the General Development Plan for the Island, the legislation that created RIOC in 1984 and that Public Benefit Corporation’s Bylaws. We also cover Roberts Rules of Order; the essential set of guidelines that maintains structure and order during meetings that otherwise might become unruly. And finally, I can give these folks an idea of what we do, how we do it and what is expected of them individually and as a team.

I remember when Sherie and I first joint the Common Council in 1997. We were intimidated by the organization and by how much we didn’t know, and so, we kept our mouths shut for the first three months. I hope the Orientation will allow our “newbies” to hit the ground running when we meet again on December 1. At that meeting, I intend to call for nominations for Council Committee Chairs. Much of our business is conducted within the committees and every delegate is required to participate in at least one. Did you know that any RIRA member (i.e. any Island resident) may join and work with a committee?

I intend to start us working on existing issues immediately and hope quickly to put in place an effective Council ready to face the unexpected. Don’t forget that RIRA is also an environment that encourages innovation, and so, I hope to add to the roster of RIRA events, both fun and informative, some free and some fund-raisers, that have enhanced our reputation on the Island and kept us in the mainstream of Island life.

RIRA is the voice of Roosevelt Island, and RIOC, the local politicians and the media recognize us as such because so many of us volunteer to join the organization and so many of us come out to vote in the elections. If you’ve read any of my old RIRA Columns, you know that I’m a sucker for a good quote. Here’s one from my old boss at The New York Academy of Sciences, Margaret Mead, which I’m often happy to resurrect:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. 

It’s the only thing that ever has.

A version of the RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA Column in the 11/6/10 Main Street WIRE.

Mr. Katz also provides this President's Report to the November 2010 Meeting of the RIRA Common Council.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – November 3, 2010

I want to welcome the new RIRA Common Council, Class of 2010-2012. I hope you will find your service to this community as rewarding and beneficial as I have. I want to thank the outgoing Delegates from the Class of 2008-2010 for their work and their commitment. I especially want to thank past President, Frank Farance. I know how difficult the President’s job is and how hard he has worked at it. Yesterday, we were adversaries; today we are colleagues, and this role feels far more comfortable and far more familiar.

I especially want to thank Aaron Hamburger and his Nominating Committee, which has brought the largest group of Council Members to this table in the thirty-three-year history of the organization. And, predictably, Joyce Mincheff, our long-standing Elections Committee Chair, has produced an impeccable and flawless election with the help of her team of poll workers, and the turnout of over 1,400 voters is quite impressive. Thanks to you all.

First, a piece of extraneous business: Over the last few months, Sherie and I have received a ton of 2011 wall calendars. We can’t use them all, and so, I will offer them to you, first come, first served, after we adjourn.

I intend to keep this first meeting, convened fewer than twenty-four hours after the polls closed, short and sweet. We will elect the officers of the corporation, without whom we cannot conduct business. The old timers will notice that I have eliminated all committee reports other than the report of the Election Committee. This is because the new committees’ chairs have yet to be determined and their committees reconvened. Then, we will set a date (or dates) for the Orientation that has become a tradition over the last decade. The intention is to shorten the learning curve necessary for new members to get up
to speed on the documents, requirements and practices of the Residents Association. There is lots to learn about RIRA, Roosevelt Island and our place within the City and State, and our two-year terms encompass only twenty regular meetings. Believe me, these terms whiz by incredibly fast and we need to get down to cases quickly. And finally, we will consider a request from the Roosevelt Island Chamber of Commerce for financial support.

This agenda will give us a month to consider committee chair appointments. RIRA Committee chairs are elected by the Common Council. Every RIRA delegate must join at least one committee, and we will use the next four weeks to determine nominees for the leadership positions. I hope that both grizzled veterans and “newbies” will think about running for these essential posts. After all, much of our Council work takes place within our standing and ad hoc committees.

So, let’s get started.

More on the November RIRA meeting here.

RIRA President's Final 2008-2010 Term Report On RIRA Common Council Candidates, Contributions From Current Members, Election Status & More

 Image Of October 2010 RIRA Meeting

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following final report of the 2008-2010 RIRA Term to Roosevelt Island residents. From Mr. Farance:

1. Please consider running for RIRA Common Council, please VOTE on November 2. The 2008-2010 term has been one of the most productive in RIRA history with the closest working relationships with RIOC and all its departments. We need your help for the next term and we need broad representation from ALL the buildings.

2. Contributions from RIRA Common Council Members on 2008-2010 Accomplishments. The following members report:

Russell Fields, RIRA Secretary: I joined RIRA in 2008 as an Eastwood Representative to address a variety of concerns by myself and my neighbors. I joined the housing committee and worked on a committee creating a motion supporting a moratorium on sub metering till the building had sufficient greening to justify this step. I was later elected the treasurer and transferred the bank accounts from New York National to Amalgamated bank the Islands new successor bank. I learned that reports were submitted monthly before meetings. I also participated in a fundraising event, Roosevelt Island Day Breakfast, a blood drive, the get acquainted meetings with the new RIOC President, and the opening dedication of Four Freedom Park. I am looking forward to another term of being involved in activities helping build the Islands’ community.

Aaron Hamburger, Chair - Island Services Committee:
• Successfully advocated MTA to install a ramp at the platform for easy wheel chair entry to the F train.
• Resolved illegal parking on Main St. by vehicles with lapsed parking stickers or expired and unauthorized parking permits.
• Worked with RIOC to eliminate long-term storage of bikes at the bike racks near the subway station.
• Advocated RIOC & NY Public Library for substantial improvements in the RI branch library. • Worked with RIOC on the plan for the Red Bus route thru Southtown during the Tram outage.

Jim Bates:
• Assisted to get repairs done in a reasonable amount of time, both inside and outside of our building.
• Making myself available not only to listen but to act on behalf of my apartment house extended family.
• Providing quality food at discounted price to all Island families with Angel food.
• Providing leadership in all areas of accessibility for all Island families.
• I also serve as President of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Assoc.

Helen Chirivas: I was a RIRA Councilmember representing Eastwood from November '08 until I moved out of Eastwood in July '09. I was on the RIRA Housing Committee, which met several times to discuss housing issues including the Eastwood sub-metering issue. I was also a member of the RIRA Planning Committee and attended several meetings of this committee. I participated in the writing of a resolution regarding Tramway Park. I participated in discussions at RIRA meetings and voted on resolutions.

Ava Dawson: Advocated for student/quiet study space in the library; worked with the Island services Committee on Island issues such as the Red Buses, traffic patterns and bike path recommendations; organized the bake sale portion of the summer 2010 RIRA fundraiser, which brought in about $150 in additional in funds.

3. RIRA Elections. Aaron Hamburger, RIRA Nominations Chair, reports that we have candidates from all buildings, but some of them don't yet have a full slate. There were some stumbles, but the nominations form has been make wide available, including on the internet. In my prior column, I learned of a possible misunderstanding: my criticisms were pointed towards the Nominations Committee, which did not hold meetings, nor coordinate and communicate with the Elections Committee, and which was reluctant to make the nominations form widely available to residents. Meanwhile, the Elections Committee (Joyce Mincheff, Chair), did hold meetings, informed itself, communicated with others, and followed the rules. I believe everything is on-track for the upcoming RIRA Election.

4. Response to Matt Katz' letter to the WIRE. Katz raises a difference without distinction: his efforts were renting machines, rather than purchasing machines. I guess I should have made it clear that his efforts were for purchasing election machine services. The main fault here is that Katz misunderstands the RIRA Constitution: as a presidential candidate, he is not permitted to be involved in the elections committee work regardless of the fact that the Elections Committee Chair said it was OK. Katz engages in the dangerous and faulty thinking that just because a chair says so, any provision of the RIRA Constitution can be nullified. In fact, even if the Common Council voted unanimously, that still wouldn't relieve them of their obligation to follow the rules (they can use the constitution amendment process to change the rules). Katz reports that, since my disclosing his activities, he has given all materials over to the Elections Committee. Katz doesn't believe it should be so but he did learn the lesson and makes my point: transparency and making things public gets people to behave better.

5. Thank You For Allowing Me To Be Your RIRA President. I very much enjoyed this term, especially all the Common Council members I had the opportunity to work with, the RIOC staff, the RIOC Board, our elected officials, and Island organizations. My children Emilia and David thank the WIRE for seeing my picture in the newspaper every two weeks.

A version of the RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 10/23/10 Main Street WIRE.

RIRA President On Election Difficulties, RIOC Board Nominations, Maple Tree Group, Critics, Tribalism, Calendar, Capital Budget & Other RI Issues

Image of Mr. Farance At September 2010 RIRA Meeting

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Farance addresses:

1. RIRA Elections. We elected Aaron Hamburger as Chair of the RIRA Nomination Committee, which is responsible for getting candidates for RIRA's approximately 50 seats, including building representatives and two Island-wide representatives (President and Vice President). We elected Joyce Mincheff as Chair of the RIRA Elections Committee, which is responsible for the running the elections. Unfortunately, Mincheff has since resigned because of difficulties with the Nominations Committee, who didn't include her in discussions and review. I haven't seen the documents forwarded to the WIRE. Hamburger has not responded to questions on who was on the committee and when they met. You would think that with all fuss made previously, Common Council members would be sensitive towards including *all* members that wish to participate, but this still continues. Immediately, I will look for a new Elections Committee Chair for proper elections this November.

2. RIOC Director Nominee Elections to be held in 2012. We voted 14-4-3 to postpone the RIOC elections. I believe they made a serious mistake. With no resident nominees, the Governor will start filling the spots. What will we do? We've already lost this argument. The Governor will say "You had the opportunity to run elections, but chose not to". A quick election in response? "But short elections don't give the best candidates (according to MTG)". Running a longer election? "But only elections in conjunction with biannual general elections produce good candidates (according to MTG)". We have thwarted every line of rhetoric for the Governor to pay attention to us. MTG suggested elections *after* term expiration. For example, RIOC director seats expiring in June 2011 (Kalkin and Kraut) would not face elections until 2012, giving them 2 extra years. In the 2012 elections, the next candidate's 4-year term is shortened: starts in 2013 and expires June 2015. Elections *after* expiration *never* produce a good result, unless you're interested in keeping the current RIOC Board members in place (which gets back to the secret meetings, apparent conflicts of interest, etc.). The Governor understands this: manipulation to keep present board members. Mr. Katz worries about burning bridges, but doesn't consider MTG's legislation to "taking all the marbles" (we have 5 resident directors now, we want all 7) is just a poke-in-the-eye to the Governor. Katz and others don't see the RIOC Board, in exerting much more force than necessary, was the perfect corporate manipulation: coax them to flex their muscles to toss Shane (unwanted by the Governor), then point out the all-resident board is predisposed to too much force (merely board resolutions could have boxed in Shane). The Shane firing becomes long-term rhetoric for why the Governor will give no more on self governance. In sum: (1) we've ruined the rhetoric and elections to provide our own nominees, (2) MTG legislation is our own power grab that caught the attention of the Governor, (3) RIOC Board overreacted on the Shane firing which demonstrates why we (residents) aren't good at governing.

3. RIRA Presidents Have Always Spoke Their Own Opinions In This Column. I agree with Ms. Vicky Feinmel who seems to have handy my E-mails from 1999. Ms. Feinmel omits reporting that at the October 1999 RIRA meeting (recorded by Mr. Matthew Katz, then Secretary of RIRA) RIRA agreed with my suggestion: the RIRA Column in the WIRE is always an opinion column. Mr. Patrick Stewart, Mr. Katz, Mr. Steve Marcus, and I have always said this was an opinion column that might or might not necessarily represent the positions of RIRA.

4. RIRA Sponsored 9/11 Memorial Service. We had a crowd of about 30-50 people with singing from Sherie Helstien and Laura Stelman Jaeger, piano accompaniment by Craig Crabtree, and poetry reading by Linda Heimer. We had an open microphone and one resident made the observation that, unlike downtown Manhattan, Roosevelt Island has a inclusive spirit, including broad and strong support for the establishment of a mosque here for the Muslim community.

5. RIOC Presentation on 15-Year Capital Budget. RIOC CFO Steve Chironis made a presentation to the Common Council of the 15-year capital budget. According to Mr. Chironis, the RIOC Budget needs to be approved in December, so the schedule is pushed back earlier for us: we're now reviewing in September what we usually review in January. RIRA will be providing feedback and Mr. Chironis will present this at the October 12 RIOC Board meeting. Mr. Chironis felt comfortable with the building of Southtown 7, 8, and 9, which are essential to RIOC's finances.

6. RIRA Support for NY Public Library to Move to 504 Main Street. At the meeting RICLA (Roosevelt Island Community Literary Associates) presented a proposal for designating one floor of 504 Main Street as the new home for the Roosevelt Island branch of the New York Public Library. RIRA endorsed the proposal. The proposal is consistent with the RIOC Master Lease RFP which recognizes that NYPL was interested in the space in 504 Main Street.

7. Island Organizations work towards Common Calendar. On September 21, we met. We had input from the following organizations: RIOC, PS/IS 217, PTA, Main Street Theatre and Dance Alliance, Island Kids, RI Marlins, RI Youth Program, RI Beacon Program, NY Junior Tennis League, RI Jewish Congregation, RICLA, Main Street WIRE. We learned about each others programs, activities, members, and schedules. The goal is to have regular meetings, roughly every September, December, February, and May so we can avoid gratuitous schedule conflicts (which have happened in the past). Roosevelt Island Day 2011 will be on June 11 (so far, so good). The Holiday Tree Lighting will be on December 3 and the PS/IS 217 Winter Concert will be on December 8 (whew, a near miss). However, the Halloween Parade and the RIYP soccer games are both on October 30. Ms. Erica Wilder (RIOC) and Mr. Scott Bobo (RIYP) discovered that conflict and will work to resolve that by changing the schedule of the soccer games that day. We expect to meet in the next 4-5 weeks, with a combined calendar; and we expect to meet regularly to schedule events 10 months into the future. Thank you all the participated, I welcome other organizations to participate.

8. Upcoming RIRA meetings. The next meeting is on October 6 at 8:00 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Community Center, which is our last Common Council meeting for the 2008-2010 session. Because RIOC meeting was rescheduled to October 12 and the day prior is Columbus Day, RIRA will include an hour-long public session (RIRA informational meeting) that addresses Q&A for the RIOC meeting.

9. Response to letters in last WIRE. I'll make this as brief as possible. In the history of RIRA, right now RIRA has the best working relationship with RIOC and other organizations. I have a good working relationship with all RIOC departments. If Mr. Kellner thinks he has a poor relationship with RIRA, then why did he call me on vacation 6 timezones away to set up the community meeting on short notice with Ms. Torres as a RIOC President candidate? I spent 3 days of vacation making the arrangements so that Mr. Kellner, Ms. Torres, Mr. Lawlor, RIOC, the RIOC Board, DHCR, etc. all could look great and have the community interact well with her. It was a big success. So Mr. Kellner asked me to do something that was completely counter to my complaints about RIOC and Mr. Shane's firing. Why did he ask me? He knew that I would do my best to help him in my role as RIRA President, and he knew I could pull it off on short notice. Likewise, Mr. Kellner has had many gruff words about Mr. Shane, yet it didn't stop them from working together. Even at our last RIRA meeting, the RIOC CFO came to present to us, Mr. Kellner's representative attended, and three RIOC Board Members attended, including Mr. Kalkin and Ms. Smith who spoke at the public session (on why their RIOC Board terms should be extended). Mr. Katz is wrong, there is no loss of working relationships for RIRA -- in fact, the relationships are much stronger than when he left office.

The people that are complaining in these letters are deflecting the fact that the main issue is: the Maple Tree Group (MTG a subcommittee of GRC) got caught with an un-democratic, un-inclusive, secretive process. At last week's RIRA Common Council meeting, Government Relations Committee (GRC) Chair Ms. Ashton Barfield confirmed the basic facts of the secrecy: the meetings were not open to all members, the discussion of voting did not include all members, and the vote itself excluded some the members. I asked Ms. Barfield why the GRC report had listed 8 members of MTG instead of the 12 members she reported in her E-mail of July 7 confirming MTG membership. She said that the 8 members were "Formal Members". I asked what provisions in the RIRA By-Laws make the distinction of "Formal Members" versus other kinds of members (bingo!). She threw her hands back and said "Maple Tree Group is open to everyone". It has taken 13 years for some residents to hear that. Many have complained quietly about being shut out of MTG and so did I. It was only by complaining publicly that MTG has changed. Mr. Katz implies that I shouldn't tell the truth about what is going on here, how I should not say it at all, or say it obliquely -- as anyone on the Internet can tell you, that doesn't get results. The galling part of MTG's actions are: they held themselves out as the shining beacon of democratic principles, no different than the disappointment in the "Sherriff of Wall Street" getting caught with prostitutes. The problem isn't having a secret meeting (or getting caught with a prostitute), the issue is: behaving inconsistently with principles that are essential and foundational to their identity. On top of that, Mr. Katz is the former RIRA President who shepherded RIRA through the revision of its Constitution and the creation of its By-Laws. yet Mr. Katz is advocating a process the is improper for the By-Laws of the corporation -- he should know better.

Regarding other points in the letters:
• Regarding Ms. Heimer's concern about a bid to the Storefront RFP by me, unlike Ms. Heimer's building, the Island House Tenants Association (of which I'm the corporate secretary) does *not* own the building and could never make such an offer. In fact, the tenants in Island House are purely focused on long-term preservation of affordable housing and the retention of the existing tenancy post-conversion (if it ever happens), they are not interested in the store fronts (Mr. Kalkin knows this).
• Regarding Ms. Heimer's report about Mr. Kellner and privatization she omits the full discussion: it was months ago that I told Mr. Kellner that the privatization issue was only with Rivercross and not Island House; since then (according to Graham Cannon, President of Island House Tenants Association) Mr. Kellner recognized that was true and issued a memo in support of Island House privatization and decouples the two buildings (one making more progress than the other). There are three points here: first, as I reported originally, the privatization issues surrounding the firing of Steve Shane only concerned one building (which Mr. Kellner did not know at the time); second, I asked Mr. Kellner to socialize his efforts among a wider audience because (as he now recognizes) he is getting a limited perspective on Roosevelt Island from these self-selected residents; third, because of the Governor's veto and the complaints about proposed legislation, Mr. Kellner again understands that a broader review (not just self-selected residents from MTG) would improve proposed legislation. Mr. Kellner does very good work for Roosevelt Island; it is a shame that he was misled.
• It is too bad that Ms. Heimer does reflect upon the fact that if a state-appointed official or RIOC Board Director took the same actions as a resident RIOC Board Director, Ms. Heimer would be complaining loudly. Largely, there is a sense of tribalism here: only residents can do good, state-appointed officials can only do wrong. That is not my take on RIOC, which is why I (along with RIRA members and RIOC staff) have been able to build a better relationship -- a transactional one, not a tribal one. As another example, Ms. Heimer complains that there were only two merchants at the RIRA Town Meeting on the storefronts. Ms. Heimer omits that one of them was the head of our Chamber of Commerce, whose role is intended to represent the merchants. When a RIRA representative goes to a meeting, Ms. Heimer would never let someone get away with the perception "just one person attended", she's voice loudly that that person represents RIRA, which represents the Island; so why does Ms. Heimer diminish the same kind representation the merchants have in their Chamber of Commerce?
• It should have been clear to Mr. Katz that I referred to a different sense of "whopper", akin to the kind of hamburger one buys at Burger King.

A version of the RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 9/25/10 Main Street WIRE.

Additional background on the Farance/Maple Tree RIOC Board Nominee dispute available here.

RIRA President On 9/11 Memorial Service, RIRA Elections, Island Calendar, Retail RFP, RIOC Nominees, Roosevelt Island Governance & Upcoming Meetings

Image of June 2010 RIRA Meeting

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Farance addresses:

1. RIRA Sponsored 9/11 Memorial Service. On Saturday, September 11, at 6:45 p.m., the community will come together at the 9/11 memorial behind the Good Shepherd Community Center. There will be readings, performances, and moments of silence. Don't forget to bring your own candle.

2. RIRA Elections. Our two-year terms, which are up this November. I encourage you to consider running in the RIRA elections. The Southtown complex has grown since the 2008 elections and will have 9 representative (up from 6) to the RIRA Common Council. RIRA will post the details of nominations and elections after next week's Common Council meeting.

3. Island Organizations to meet to on Common Calendar. On September 21 at 8:00 p.m., I'm holding a meeting with all organizations invited with the hopes that we can have a common calendar through June 2011 so we can avoid gratuitous conflicts. We'll publish the calendar in well-known places, including The WIRE, RIOC, and Roosevelt Islander blog websites. If you are a representative of one of the Island's organizations (not just a member), please RSVP to me (rira-president@rira-council.org) no later than Friday, September 17.

4. RIOC Produces a Flawed RFP for Main Street Storefronts. The RIOC Real Estate Development Advisory Committee (Chaired by Jonathan Kalkin) has produced a poor RFP. Significant problems include the lack of resident input (and even RIOC board input). Right now the proposals use a notion of "best value", which is based upon three criteria: (1) total economic value and financial return to RIOC (50%), (2) proposer's plans to improve the retail space or retail units (25%), and (3) experience, competence and commitment of the proposer (25%). Furthermore, "RIOC will select the proposals for the Retail Space that, in the sole discretion of RIOC, most successfully fulfills the Selection Criteria" [the three above items]. Nowhere does it say that the residents or the RIOC Board will have any input on the selection of the choice of tenants. If the RIOC Board decides to change its evaluation criteria (e.g., "we're focusing on how much resident input there will be in new tenants"), then RIOC opens itself to litigation because the criteria has changed. This is why it was so critical to get input from us before the RFP was posted for bid. Or said differently: given the years of complaints about Gristedes and the residents' desire to have something different, now with a master lease we will have even less input on Island merchants. Regardless of the downturn of business at Gristedes, Gristedes can still afford to stay there because Gristedes is profitable across all its stores -- that's the same rationale for why we have a Starbucks here that would normally not have enough business to survive in other locations. Do you remember how Mr. Kalkin's real estate committee refused to participate in the Q&A of the RIRA Town Meeting in June that was specifically scheduled to discuss the master lease? Now Mr. Kalkin and his committee don't have to answer questions because the RFP demands "No board member, officer or employee of RIOC, the State or City of New York, or any of their respective public agencies or advisors are authorized to give interpretations of this RFP or additional information regarding the requirements of this RFP directly or indirectly". No discussion beforehand, and no discussion permitted afterwards. Mr. Kalkin's committee could have easily asked the bidders to include proposals on "how to address the needs of residents" and assigned it some percentage weight (a common idea in complex government RFPs), but Mr. Kalkin's committee chose to ignore the needs of the residents or the existing merchants and chose to avoid public Q&A.

5. RIOC Director Nominee Elections. I read the Maple Tree Group's report, as provided by Ashton Barfield (RIRA Chair of Government Relations Committee, of which MTG is a subcommittee). Essentially, they contradict their prior actions. In 2009 when two board positions were expiring in the future, MTG recommended that we have elections. Now then four board positions are available prior to the 2012 election cycle (one already expired, two in Spring 2010, and one at the end of 2011), MTG takes the opposite position. MTG's present position in postponing elections to keep incumbents in positions longer than their terms -- the opposite of MTG's prior position. An MTG member told me: now that the Governor has vetoed Kellner's legislation, maybe we should have elections sooner just in case the Governor tries to appoint people and there are no available resident nominees. This is not principled thinking, this is just expedience. All the Southtown and Octagon people can feel nicely disenfranchised because of MTG's postponement of elections. What's my plan? If you look at the 2009 RIOC director nominee election process, it had the same amount of advance notice as the normal RIRA election process. I plan on advocating strongly at next week's RIRA Common Council meeting that we should have RIOC elections this year. The RIRA election process is very similar to the RIOC director nominee process and we can use the RIRA election machines for the RIOC elections, too. I plan on asking RIRA to use these processes, regardless of MTG's recommendations.

6. Governor Vetoes Legislation. I'm sure this has been reported elsewhere. What is really disappointing is that the Maple Tree Group (the committee that meets in secret and only lets 13-year members vote) supported legislation that was technically flawed. If you read the Governor's (reasonable) explanation of his veto, the legislation Kellner and MTG proposed duplicated existing laws. How does this happen and why don't they understand that these kinds of flaws make for strong rhetoric against this legislation? I guess the experience of those 13-year members (to the exclusion of the rest of us) didn't help, right? The moral of the story here is: a transparent process and an open process produce better results.

7. Upcoming RIRA meetings. The next meeting is on September 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Community Center; future meeting is October 6. Last night (Tuesday) the overnight low was above 70 degrees, which will probably be the last summery night this year.

A version of the RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 9/11/10 Main Street WIRE.

RIRA President On Steve Shane Saga, Roosevelt Island Community Meeting With RIOC President/CEO Candidate, RIOC Governance Legislation & More

Image of June 2010 RIRA Meeting

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Farance addresses:

1. RIOC Board fires President Steve Shane, the saga continues. [Preface again: These are my personal comments, RIRA has not yet met to discuss this, so I don't know their opinions.] In response to my prior column and in response to RIOC Board members posting their statements on the Roosevelt Islander blog, it seems that residents agree with me that the RIOC Board has blundered here. As they say in the TV commercial "But, wait there's more ...". As confirmed by several people, the firing was prompted by privatization issues and there is the appearance of a conflict of interest (which could easily be resolved if the RIOC Board acted properly).

2. Meet Ms. Leslie Torres, the candidate for RIOC CEO/President. RIRA will host a town meeting Tuesday, August 3, 8 PM at the Good Shepherd. We hope the community comes out to meet the candidate and ask questions. Those residents who sent me questions at rira president@rira council.org no later than NOON Monday, August 2 will have their questions forwarded to Ms. Torres and will get first priority on answers at Tuesday night's meeting.

3. Disappointed in RIOC legislation. We have pending legislation on hiring a RIOC CEO/President (at least three candidates need to be interviewed and there must be a public hearing). The legislation has been modified as it has made its way through both houses, yet there has been little public awareness (Assemblymember Kellner should have made an effort) and there has been no discussion within RIRA Common Council members (a fault of my own organization). Essentially, the changes in the legislation change from two RIOC appointments by our assemblymember and senator, to two RIOC appointments in consultation with our assemblymember and senator and appointment by the head of the Assembly and the head of the Senate. Mr. Kellner believes that this is not a problem. My sense is: in the past year, we've seen the dumbest of lows in our state legislature, so having to lobby two other people (head of Assembly and head of Senate who know little about Roosevelt Island) just makes our voices even more diluted.

Regardless, the community should be aware of this legislation. Considering that three candidates are necessary by this legislation, it is discouraging that the RIOC Board doesn't support the spirit of this law (by only interviewing one candidate) and the assemblymember doesn't advocate RIOC follow his own law that is pending approval by the Governor. In other words, although we have resident board members, they perform no better than the old-style state appointees, they change RIOC presidents without any explanation (can RIOC cite what statutes, regulations, or provisions preview the RIOC Board from discussing their recent actions?), and the whole thing stinks of non-transparency and the appearance of conflicts of interest.

4. RIOC Board operating outside its By-Laws? Have you ever noticed that RIOC Board meetings involve "motions", "seconds", and "tabling" and so on? These words have no meaning in the context of the RIOC By-Laws. There is no Roberts Rules of Order (or any other rules of order), thus words like "motions", "seconds", and "tabling" -- and even votes on them -- are improper and give the public the wrong sense of what the board governance process is. To Mr. Leitner, Vice President / General Counsel or RIOC: I encourage you to have your board and especially its chairperson to conform to the by-laws of your corporation.

5. Upcoming RIRA meetings. Aside from the short-notice town meeting (see above), the next meeting is on September 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Community Center; future meeting is October 6. Have a great summer!

A version of the RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 7/31/10 Main Street WIRE.

RIRA President On Roosevelt Island Blood Drive, Gifted & Talented Class, Town Hall Meeting On Master Leaseholder & More

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Farance addresses:

1. RIRA Blood Drive on June 19, Roosevelt Island Day. Roosevelt Island Day is my favorite day here. The weather looks good so far. RIRA will have it's bagel and coffee breakfast at 9AM. I and other RIRA volunteers will be serving. Please remember to donate blood. Matt Katz has done a great job organizing this and I hope we have a good turnout.

2. Gifted and Talented at PS/IS 217. I had an opportunity to speak at the meeting at PS/IS 217 and emphasize how important this school is to the community. The principal, her staff, the PTA, and the community have worked together for an upward trajectory for this school. Although not every student is in the gifted and talented program, it is an important attraction for all families (even if only one child is the G&T program) and makes the Island itself a more attractive place to live. I will be following up with the RIRA Common Council and the CB8 education committee to get support for continuing the G&T program on Roosevelt Island.

3. RIRA Town Hall meeting on Main Street storefronts. As promised, we will have a town hall meeting to inform the community. The WIRE covered this is the last issue. RIOC President Steve Shane will attend. I'm expecting RIOC board members to attend, too.

4. RI-311 reloaded. We met with RIOC's Operations Committee to discuss the collaboration between RIOC and RIRA. It sounds like a good fit. Hopefully a couple screen snapshots and demos by my next column.

5. RI Trambots? I believe the WIRE has covered this story: a team of mostly 8-year old competes city-wide against 14-year olds and comes in 7th place (of 24 teams), including taking home a First Place Trophy for teamwork. Wow! Thanks to Charlie DeFino, the RI Youth Program, NYC DYCD (Department of Youth and Community Development) for supporting our efforts.

6. RIRA elections this November. We reach out to the community to become more involved. You can volunteer to be a RIRA Common Council member. We have building-wide representatives (several for each of the housing complexes) and Island-wide representatives (President, Vice President) -- all are directly elected positions. If you'd like to see what this is like, please come to one of our meetings. It's rewarding, you get to know your neighbors and community, and you can have a positive effect on things around you.

7. Upcoming RIRA meetings. The next meeting is on September 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Community Center; future meeting is October 6. Upcoming RIRA Town Hall meeting (in preparation for RIOC Board meetings) is on June 23 (note the new date). Have a great summer!

The RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 6/19/10 Main Street WIRE.

RIRA President On Roosevelt Island Blood Drive. Lego Robots, Handrails, 311 System, Elections & Future Meetings

Image of Tram Pole From Frank Farance

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

1. RIRA Blood Drive on June 19, Roosevelt Island Day. Don't forget to donate blood. Thanks to Matt Katz for organizing this.

2. RI Trambots? The RI Youth Program will be sending a team of 6-13 year olds to the NYC DYCD competition on Lego Robots. We've taken the Tram as our mascot. Wish us well!

3. A better handrail for buses, a better pool for kids. File this in the category of New Ideas From Other Places. I've had to travel recently and I discovered a 3-way handrail pole in a Swiss tram (see photo). Also from Geneva, here's a nice way to arrange a splash pond for kids in the summertime (see photo), the pool is deceptively shallow.

4. RI-311 reloaded. Aaron Hamburger, chair of RIRA's Island Services Committee, RIRA Common Counselor Joe Terranella, RIOC Board Member Jonathan Kalkin, and I will be relaunching the RI-311 system to allow you to report issues about island services. Thank you to Aaron and Jonathan for leading this effort, and thanks to Joe for helping on the web implementation. I'll have more on this in my next column.

5. RIRA elections this November. We reach out to the community to become more involved. You can volunteer to be a RIRA Common Council member. We have building-wide representatives (several for each of the housing complexes) and Island-wide representatives (President, Vice President) -- all are directly elected positions. If you'd like to see what this is like, please come to one of our meetings. It's rewarding, you get to know your neighbors and community, and you can have a positive effect on things around you.

6. Upcoming RIRA meetings. The next Common Council meeting is ... well it's summer vacation. The next meeting is on September 15 at 8:00 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Community Center; future meeting is October 6. Upcoming RIRA Town Hall meeting (in preparation for RIOC Board meetings) is on June 23 (note the new date). I am trying to arrange for a Town Hall meeting to discuss the storefronts at the June 23 meeting. The WIRE will announce this if I can get all parties at the meeting.

Splash Pond Image From Frank Farance

The RIRA President's message is also published as the RIRA column in the 6/5/10 Main Street WIRE.