RIOC Announces Meet And Greet Event For Roosevelt Island Veterans Thursday January 12 At Carter Burden Senior Center - Over 300 Veterans Currently Live On Roosevelt Island Says RIOC President Susan Rosenthal

Last October, Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Director David Kraut began a process of organizing a Roosevelt Island Veterans Association. According to this October 18 report:

...During the October 13 RIOC Real Estate Advisory Committee meeting (full audio web cast here), Mr. Kraut (attending the meeting by phone) reported that he would like to establish the Roosevelt Island Veterans Association of America and requested RIOC's support in securing a storefront space for veterans to gather together, share information, tell war stories and receive information from the Veterans Administration.

Acting RIOC President Susan Rosenthal said she thought it was:

... a great idea...

and

... let's work together on this...

Roosevelt Island is one step closer to forming a Veterans Association. According to RIOC:

SAVE THE DATE:

In partnership with the Carter Burden Senior Center, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation will kick off its first social affair for island veterans on Thursday, January 12th at 3 PM at the Senior Center, located at 546 Main Street. Stop by for fun and refreshments, and socialize with fellow islanders who have or are currently serving in the military. We hope to see you there!

Image From RIOC

RIOC President Susan Rosenthal thanked Mr. Kraut for his efforts in helping Roosevelt Island veterans during her President's Report to the December 8, 2016 RIOC Board of Directors meeting. Ms. Rosenthal added that there are over 300 veterans



currently living on Roosevelt Island and that the aim of this initial meeting will be to determine what are the needs and services requested by Roosevelt Island veterans.

I asked Ms. Rosenthal:

Will there be a Meet & Greet event for Veterans held after working hours so those veterans with daytime jobs who may wish to attend are able to do so?

Ms. Rosenthal replied:

... This is just a first meeting…..nothing is carved in stone. We want to test the waters for the extent of interest and if there is an interest in an evening program, we can make that happen. We may need to survey the vets---but let’s take it one step at a time....

Web cast of full December 16 RIOC Board meeting here.

Good job by RIOC.

Roosevelt Island Grog Liquor Shop Lease Renewed

Image of Grog Shop from Spatial Design

At the 1/31 RIOC Board of Directors meeting a renewal lease for the Roosevelt Island Grog Liquor shop was approved. Take a look at the web cast of Board meeting to see how the process of decision making on Roosevelt Island works. More on this and how it impacts Main Street retail later.

Roosevel Island Raquet Club Follow Up

A reader sent in this copy of the Memorandum in support of the Third Lease Modification for the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club that was approved during the October 18, 2007 RIOC Board of Directors meeting. The memorandum was written by RIOC President Shane to the RIOC Board's Real Estate Committee. To read the memo, click on that portion of the page you wish to read and it will open to a larger page. A letter in support of the proposal by a Roosevelt Island resident that was included in this package to the Real Estate Committee is posted here.

Here is a link to the webcast of the Board meeting. The first item on the agenda, approximately the first 2 hours of the meeting, deal with the Roosevelt Island Tram. The next item focuses on the proposed Tennis club license. Note that there is virtually no discussion of any of the questions posed in this earlier post nor were they answered in response to the original inquiry:

How does the license fee for the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club compare to other similarly situated clubs in New York City? Is it comparable in terms of fees and term? Is it even a relevant question?

Since the current license term extends through 2031 why does it have to be extended for an additional 15 years? The waiver of any potential liability for tram discontinuance does not seem reason enough to justify such an extension. After all there have been previous occasions when the tram was out of service and to my knowledge no such liability occurred. The willingness of the Tennis club owner to spend additional sums on a market study to determine the potential of a business opportunity for themselves hardly seems reason for RIOC to extend the license term either. Please explain what benefit does RIOC receive in exchange for the additional 15 year term?

Why does the Public Authorities Act not apply to such a large space as the Tennis Club with a license term extending to the year 2048. These premises are not the small shops on Main Street where applying the Public Authorities Law makes no sense.

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How many Roosevelt Island residents are members of the club, either adult or children? What is the discount rate for Roosevelt Island residents and for how long has that been in effect?

Eventually, if an RFP is issued for the Sportspark facility and a bidder other than the current tennis club operator wins the RFP, under the terms of the proposed license modification, what exactly does that bidder have to pay the tennis club operator. I watched the webcast of the real estate committee meeting and am unclear in the event that another bidder wins the RFP what you meant by the winning bidder having to pay the tennis club for it's "going business value". Do you mean merely the value of the current tennis club or do you mean to include the potential value of a new "Chelsea Pier" type complex at the combined Sportspark/tennis facility. If you mean the potential value of the new facility that would put a competing bidder at a severe and unfair disadvantage in any bidding process.
One member of the Board did ask Mr. Shane about this 1991 NY Times article which said of the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club:

lease payments to the state will be set at a minimum of $100,000 a year and should increase after five years to over $400,000; the club will then pay a percentage of its revenues to the state.

Mr. Shane questioned the accuracy of this report and did not elaborate any further. As this reader points out:

In '91 rent should be $100.000, five years later over $400.000, and 16 years later it should be more, much more, than over $250.000
Something is fishy...

Perhaps subsequent modifications reduced the license fee. We don't know, but questions should still be asked. No other critical, much less challenging, questions were asked by the Board members as to whether the tennis facility is the only recreational, cultural or public use facility possible for this location or whether they are indeed good neighbors to the Roosevelt Island community.

I continue to ask, Why increase the License term for an additional 15 year term without Roosevelt Island receiving anything in return? All the increased license term does is increase the value of the Tennis facility and makes it more expensive for any other potential user. How does that help RIOC or the Roosevelt Island residents? It certainly helps the tennis facility. What a shame!

What Does it Take to be a RIOC Director?

What does it take to be a Director of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation? According to the Main Street Wire's online information materials for the RIOC Board's Nomination Process it takes:

First and foremost, you must have a strong desire to see your community thrive. The ability to be analytical and ask tough questions will help -- and if you want to do what's best for your neighbors, you're on your way to being a terrific RIOC Board member!

RIOC Board members need tremendous community spirit because the only compensation they'll derive for all their efforts is their sense of satisfaction; being a RIOC Director is an unpaid position.

To run, you must:

• be at least 25 years old
• be at least a 6-month resident of Roosevelt Island
• be a citizen of the United States

There are no other requirements.

Some qualities that would be helpful, but are not specific requirements, are:

• In-depth knowledge of the community, and its past problems and issues.
• Background in any of the following areas: general business, real estate, city planning, management, competitive bidding, a local-government-related function, accounting, engineering, finance, marketing, law, etc.

If you feel that you have the talent and time to devote to the ongoing and upcoming issues that face Roosevelt Island, make the decision to run. This website and guidance from RIRA officers will help you through the remainder of the process. If you have ever complained about the decisions and practices implemented by RIOC, this Board is the ideal opportunity to have an impact on the changes you seek.

How does the current RIOC Board measure up to these criteria? Are they able to competently address complicated issues related to, for instance, Tramway engineering and balancing the sometimes conflicting needs of the Roosevelt Island community with current real estate property values (privatization of Mitchell Lama housing and Tennis Club license modification)?

Reader's have sent in the following recent comments about the RIOC Board. Jonathon writes:

This is definitely why I decided to leave RI. I was aggravated by the ineptitude of the RI Board from the day I move.

The Hawk says about the RIOC Operations Committee meeting webcast:

I saw this joke. One guy couldn't explain a report the other said he wasn't qualified to make a judgement on the tram and the third guy could not be heard most ot the time. Who puts these clowns on the board? If a guy is not qualified why is he making the decision? Do these guys have any qualifications at all or are they just more hacks lke we used to have?

Another reader asks how residents can contact Board members writing that there are

no emails, no phones, just names at RIOC site.

and

... my question is how to contact our "representatives" at RIOC - Board of Directors?

For the record, I would be happy to post any information about the good job that the current RIOC Board is doing.

Is Roosevelt Island Tram Shutdown Really Necessary?

The first item on the Agenda for the Thursday, October 18 meeting of the RIOC Board of Directors is the proposed

Authorization to Proceed with Work Plan for the Modernization of the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway (Board Action Required)

There was a very interesting discussion regarding the proposed Roosevelt Island Tramway system changes conducted between two RIOC Board members, both Roosevelt Island residents, at the October 11, 2007 Operations Committee meeting that was webcast here.

One of the Board members was not pleased with the way the recent Town Hall meeting on the Future of the Tram was conducted stating that he did not think that

all alternatives were presented with same degree of enthusiasm.

And:

the Board and residents are entitled to see the results of the Thornton Tomasetti study as they were going to present it before it was pre-empted and i'd like to see it on the next Board Agenda.

The same Board member asks in respect to the Tram repairs:

when one of the top 3 engineering firms in the world says there's nothing wrong with anything and somebody else comes back and says everything's wrong with everything and by the way we're not willing to give you any supporting data, why do we choose to believe the second guy when, in fact, they have misled us for several years and we continue to give them business?

A very good question. I hope RIOC has the answer.

Please note that any errors in the description of the statement by the Board member are due to my transcribing them from the webcast and will be corrected if wrong.

Image is from abclocal.go.com

Roosevelt Island Tennis Club Follow-Up

The Webcast of the RIOC Board's Real Estate Committee meeting on the proposed License Modification for the Roosevelt Island Racquett Club is now available for viewing. Those interested in getting a small glimpse of how decisions are made concerning the future of Roosevelt Island will find the 30 minutes both fascinating and tedious.
A Roosevelt Island resident who supports the expansion of the Tennis Club sends in this letter of support which I have excerpted below. The full contents of the letter appear in the comments section.

The recreational needs, and more specifically the tennis needs of Roosevelt Island’s population, 12,000 and growing, is not adequately served by the small volume of courts at Octagon, (the number of which have remained unchanged since the Island’s population was 2000.)

The Racquet Club’s 530 members as well as 50 staff frequently arrive and depart (for hourly games) on our tramway and eat at or order from our restaurants. The Racquet Club provides free instruction and play to a vast amount of community residents. PS/IS 217 uses 5 courts for several hours, twice a week for its children. The NY Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) program runs on weekends from the first week of November to April. The Winter program provides continuity throughout the year to an enrollment of approximately 300 children. Adults enjoy a significant discount in their membership fees, the Racquet Club has provided free hours for Roosevelt Islanders since its inception, and much of the Racquet Club’s open programs are used by Roosevelt Island residents.

I question whether this is sufficient reason to expand the facility without first exploring additional alternatives. I sent the following message to RIOC President Shane seeking more information on the proposed expansion.

... Since you have advised that had I previously asked about the length of the tennis club's license term you would have informed me it extends through 2031, I would like to ask you the following questions regarding the Racquet Club's proposed lease modification in the interest of a fully and knowledgeable Roosevelt Island public and hope to get a similar response.

What is the approximate square footage of the premises?

I understand from the webcast of the Real Estate committee meeting that the current base license fee is $225 thousand with approximately an additional $60 - $70 thousand in % fee. Is that correct?

What is the new proposed license fee?

How does the license fee for the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club compare to other similarly situated clubs in New York City? Is it comparable in terms of fees and term? Is it even a relevant question?

Since the current license term extends through 2031 why does it have to be extended for an additional 15 years? The waiver of any potential liability for tram discontinuance does not seem reason enough to justify such an extension. After all there have been previous occasions when the tram was out of service and to my knowledge no such liability occurred. The willingness of the Tennis club owner to spend additional sums on a market study to determine the potential of a business opportunity for themselves hardly seems reason for RIOC to extend the license term either. Please explain what benefit does RIOC receive in exchange for the additional 15 year term?

Why does the Public Authorities Act not apply to such a large space as the Tennis Club with a license term extending to the year 2048. These premises are not the small shops on Main Street where applying the Public Authorities Law makes no sense.

-->
How many Roosevelt Island residents are members of the club, either adult or children? What is the discount rate for Roosevelt Island residents and for how long has that been in effect?

Eventually, if an RFP is issued for the Sportspark facility and a bidder other than the current tennis club operator wins the RFP, under the terms of the proposed license modification, what exactly does that bidder have to pay the tennis club operator. I watched the webcast of the real estate committee meeting and am unclear in the event that another bidder wins the RFP what you meant by the winning bidder having to pay the tennis club for it's "going business value". Do you mean merely the value of the current tennis club or do you mean to include the potential value of a new "Chelsea Pier" type complex at the combined Sportspark/tennis facility. If you mean the potential value of the new facility that would put a competing bidder at a severe and unfair disadvantage in any bidding process.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would provide answers to these questions so that I may present the issue clearly, correctly and fairly to readers of Roosevelt Islander.

I was also surprised that none of these questions were raised during the RIOC Board's Real Estate subcommittee meeting. Is it that they either already knew the answers to these questions, do not think them relevant or some other reason that I am not aware of? ...

Webcast of Town Hall Meeting on Future of Roosevelt Island Tram!!

The Webcast of the Town Hall Meeting on the Future of the Roosevelt Island Tram is now available here. If you were not able to attend this meeting please take the time to watch so that you are informed of the various options.

It is critically important for the future of Roosevelt Island to upgrade and improve the transportation infrastructure of this Island particularly with all of the new residents coming to the Southtown Riverwalk buildings.

Don't let any of our neighbors or visitors get trapped dangling over the East River for hours again.

The Main Street Wire has more here.

• Alternative 1 would take care of the track ropes, replace some critical components, and involve only two months of downtime. It would cost only about $5.6 million. But the engineers give it a life expectancy of only seven years; one reason is that the system would not be fully modernized, and would mostly use mechanical parts equivalent to the current 30-year-old setup.
• Alternative 2 would involve a "fundamentally new system" with a probable 30 years of useful life ahead of it. The cost would be $14.25 million - just about the amount the State has set aside. Six months of downtime would be involved.
• Alternative 3 would result in a system very similar to that in Alternative 2, but it would add an alternative drive motor, increasing reliability. The hit in downtime would be seven months, and the cost would be $17.25 million.
• Alternative 4 would involve a departure from the present "jigback" or "clothesline" system in which cabins move simultaneously in opposite directions. In this scheme, the two sides of the system would be separated, and they would be able to operate independently. Cost: $20.4 million and seven months of downtime.

In regard to the subway:

Residents were concerned about another set of alternatives - what to do for transportation without a Tramway to relieve subway overcrowding, especially at rush hour, or to cope when the F line is out of commission for one reason or another. Extra subway trains are simply not operationally feasible, according to the MTA, so reliance could be placed on buses taking rush-hour commuters to Queens Plaza to board subway trains there. But Shane and others observed that buses going all the way to Manhattan were slow at times, inconvenient almost all the time, unreliable, and underutilized in previous Tramway outages.

Image is from wnbc.com

RIRA Council Meeting

I went to the Roosevelt Island Resident's Association Common Council meeting Wednesday night.
The meeting started with a presentation by Thom Sokoloski and Jenny-Ann McCowan of the Encampment public participatory art project that will be installed at Southpoint Park during Open House NY from October 5-7. They gave a well received presentation to the Council members and reiterated their call for creative collaborators from the Roosevelt Island community as well as sponsors for individual tents. They are currently on Roosevelt Island so if you are interested in participating in this project they can be reached here.
Assemblymember Micah Kellner then reported on matters of interest to the Roosevelt Island community including a potential new buyer for Island House but not Westview as well as his Roosevelt Island office hours. A recent Main Street Wire article on issue of the sale of these buildings is here.
A long and fascinating conversation among the Council members then ensued regarding whether or not RIRA should accept unrestricted funds from the RIOC President's discretionary allotment that would be used for financing the RIRA sponsored plebiscite, but not election - repeat not election, of the Governor's nominees to the RIOC Board of Directors. Issues involving the balance between pragmatic local politics, governmental transparency and ethical considerations were robustly and vigorously debated. The motion to accept the funding was passed. Unfortunately, after 2 1/2 hours I had to leave while the meeting was still in progress so I do not know if there were any subsequent developments. Check out this week's Main Street Wire for more comprehensive coverage of the meeting.
The main impression I walked away from at 10:30 PM was that the RIRA Council members, all Roosevelt Island residents and our neighbors, are performing a great public service and deserve our respect and thanks for their service to the community. Perhaps they are not on par with the Founding Fathers pictured above, but if they are able to accomplish the plebiscite, a wonderful demonstration of democracy in action.

Webcast of September 6 RIOC Board Meeting

For those of us unable to attend yesterday's Thursday morning RIOC Board Meeting it is now available here as a webcast. Also available is the 8/30/07 RIOC Governance Advisory Committee Meeting intended to establish criteria for future members of the RIOC Board of Directors as well as the June 2007 Board of Directors meeting minutes. Wow.
Good job by RIOC in getting this to work. Hope it continues.
Update: RIOC President Steve Shane informs me that the minutes from the August Board of Directors meetings are now posted on the RIOC web site. Mr Shane writes:

...note the minutes of Board meetings posted. They get posted promptly
after review and approval at the subsequent Board meeting (usually
Agenda Item 1).

Also, the webcast of the 9/6/07 Board of Directors meeting is available here.

RIOC Board of Directors Meeting

A meeting of the Roosevelt Island Board of Directors will be held this Thursday September 7, 2007 at 9:30 AM at the Good Shephard Center, 543 Main Street. It is unfortunate, to say the least, that this meetings is scheduled at a time when many Roosevelt Island residents are at work and unable to attend. A meeting in the evening would allow many who are interested to attend. Afterwards a town hall meeting could be convened to directly address the issues of concern to Roosevelt Islanders and maybe even receive some answers by those charged with the responsibility to govern Roosevelt Island. Among the issues to be addressed at this meeting are the fate of the Roosevelt Island Tram modernization and maintenance program as well as certain retail leases on Main Street, all issues of great concern to residents of Roosevelt Island.
The agenda for the meeting:

AGENDA

SEPTEMBER 6, 2007
MEETING OF THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER, 9:30 A.M.

I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. Approval of Minutes
1. June 28, 2007 Board Meeting (Board Action Required)
2. August 16, 2007 Board Meeting (Board Action Required)
IV. Old Business
V. New Business
1. Update of Review of Options and Recommendations Concerning the
Modernization of the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway
2. Authorization to Enter into Amendments, Modifications and New
Leases with Certain Main Street Commercial Tenants (Board Action
Required – Materials to Follow)
3. Authorization of Vacation Exchange Option Program (Board Action
Required)
4. Committee Reports
a. Audit Committee
b. Real Estate Development Advisory Committee
c. Operations/Public Purpose Funds Advisory Committee
d. Governance Advisory Committee
5. Public Safety Report
6. President’s Report
VI. Adjournment

If you are unable to attend perhaps RIOC's webcasting of the meeting will work. Apparently there have been problems to date so the webcast may not be available. It certainly is not available to those without a high speed internet connection. Also, the transcript for the May 2007 Board of Directors Meeting is now available online but the June meeting still is not. I don't understand why it should take so long to post minutes of a public meeting.

RIOC Board of Director Meetings Now Being Webcast

RIOC Board of Director Meetings are now being webcast. The August 16, 2007 meeting is archived here. The webcasting of Board of Director meetings is a great tool for those who are interested in Roosevelt Island affairs, but cannot go to these meetings, to learn what is going on as well as an archival record of what was actually said.
There are also written transcripts of prior Board of Director Meetings here, although the latest archived is from May 17, 2007 and does not include the August meeting.