Local Doyle Children Top Readers City Library System

A great story in yesterday's NY Daily News about four local Roosevelt Island siblings who voraciously read books borrowed from local NY Public Library branch. Congratulations kids you are role models for your peers.

What’s Your Favorite Roosevelt Island Location?

The Daily News is running an on-line section titled "You Love New York” where they are asking all New Yorkers to name their favorite NYC location. There is only posting so far regarding Roosevelt Island. I submitted a post regarding Southpoint Park which has not yet been published.

My question / request for everyone here is:

“What is Your Favorite Roosevelt Island Location and Why?”

Let us know and be sure to explain fully why it is your favorite locations.

Monday Morning Linkage

Views of 5 Boro Bike Tour – Populuxe Books Blog - Reto Info !

Rentals are the New Condos (Octagon Review) – The New York Observer

Resident and Tennis Club Manager Quoted re USPS Priority Mail – NY Daily News

Hey Brooklyn ! We Want Our Granite Back ! Keep Roosevelt Island Granite on Roosevelt Island !

According to the linked article about the future Brooklyn Bridge Park they plan on using granite salvaged from the Roosevelt Island Bridge for their park.

While I am not happy about the design of the future FDR Four Freedoms / Louis Kahn Memorial Park shouldn't the granite from Roosevelt Island be first provided to a local park project on Roosevelt Island?

Disney to Take Over Tram, Replace RIOC?

A New York Daily News columnist this past weekend, Saturday September 27, 2008, proposed several instances where the City can make up its budget shortfall by selling naming rights to current City landmarks including Roosevelt Island.

Amusing suggestions but I am unsure how RIOC President Steve Shane would feel having RIOC replaced in favor of an amusement park. I am betting some residents would not mind having the exterior of the Red Buses painted with Mickey Mouse and friends.


Just as long as Disney does not buy the right to combine this with that King Kong Tram ride over at Universal I guess we'd be safe enough.

“Disney's Roosevelt Island Tram. Hey, they've done a heck of a job on Broadway - why not let them work their magic on that boring sky-high gondola? Feel the wind on your face as you swoop through the East River, dodging drunken trust-funders on their speedboats, foreign tourists on the Circle Line and seagulls hovering over the garbage scows going out to sea! Or let them take it one step further with ...

Disney Roosevelt Island. The centerpiece of Disney's first amusement park in the Northeast would be a fun-filled, 3-D interactive exhibit taking families through the island's fascinating history as the repository for the unfortunate victims of insanity, smallpox and Manhattan rents. Other attractions will include Mr. Cabbie's Wild Ride, The Hall of Mayors (hosted by an automaton David Dinkins, more lifelike than the real thing!) and the heart-stopping thrill ride, the Falling Crane Drop. Don't forget the Goofy-shaped pooper-scooper for the folks back home! “

NYDN: Local Resident's Loss - Taser Related Death

As reported in the NY Daily News, this past Friday Sept 26th, the case of the man who was tasered by the NYPD and unfortunately fell to his death has a connection to Roosevelt Island. It was resident Olga Negron whose son Inman Morales died in the incident.

According to the story:

"The mother said her son was diagnosed as bipolar and had suffered from paranoid delusions in the past. His anti-depressants recently had been changed. "That day, he had an appointment with his psychiatric doctor. I went to pick him up," said Negron, a former dental assistant who lives on Roosevelt Island. "

Last Leather Strap Post ?

Apparently the New York Daily News enjoys writing about leather as much as we do as they ran a story this past Friday August 8th, similiar in theme to our own 7/24 post, about the leather hand straps in our Roosevelt Island Tram being the last in the MTA system.

Nice to see in print RIOC President Steve Shane's statement that the straps will be going to the Rooseevelt Island Historical Society when they are retired. As a fan of the NYC Transit Museum I hope at least one would end up there as I also wish the Tram would be given some sort of mention there.

I learned from Judy Berdy, President of the RIHS, that the current straps when worn down have been replaced as needed through a Queens leather / shoe repair shop so it's unclear which if any of the current straps are actually original to the Tram's inception.

Update: 7:00 pm - Monday Aug 11, 2008

My apologies to Brendan Brosh over at the News if he felt in any way my above post above was taking a dig at his article at is was not my intent.

Move to Roosevelt Island - Add 4 1/2 Years to Your Life !

According to the "Measure of America Report", referred to in today's NY Daily News, Roosevelt Island residents as part of the 14th Congressional District live longer, on average 4.5 years longer, than many of our fellow countrymen.

Perhaps the the two kid's spraygrounds next to and behind Blackwell House are the Fountain of Youth?

NYDN: Ferry Advocates Say Service Possible Within Year But Unlikely

Today's New York Daily News, May 20, 2008, online local Queens section is running an article reporting that local ferry advocates believe ferry service could start on Roosevelt Island within a year if dock construction would be started earlier than 2010 as projected by NYC.

The article does not elicit any new information that island residents did not know already but it helps keep the issues in the press that we have serious transportation concerns especially with the Tram going off line in 2009 in front of us. If anything the article shows that our elected representatives are still pushing for us.

Mothers Day Message from Iraq for Roosevelt Island Mom

Roosevelt Island resident Adrienne Grist was treated to a rare event seeing her daughter wish her a Happy Mother's Day via larger than life video screens in Times Square. It was an extra special occasion as Ms. Grist's daughter, Major Lisa Webb, 41, is serving in Iraq. For the full story link HERE to the NY Daily News story about the event.

Beaver Found in East River West Channel Dies

Could the beaver found last week in the West Channel of the East River be the same beaver spotted recently at Roosevelt Island’s Motorgate Garage? The NY Times is reporting the beaver died in transport to a medical clinic up near Utica. You may recall that the Roosevelt Islander posted a couple of posts a week or two ago about sightings of a small / medium animal, possibly a beaver, inside Motorgate Garage. I wonder if the beaver found by the NYPD while patrolling the East River in prep for the Pope’s visit to the UN was the same animal? We don’t get too many beaver sightings around here so perhaps it was the same animal. Either way we are sorry to hear of the beaver’s passing.

FDR Isle Reverts to Welfare Isle During Pope Benedict's Visit to NYC

According to a NY Daily News article posted today that the NYPD website upon posting a street closure map this past weekend used a 1960's era map where Roosevelt Island was still listed as Welfare Island.

Maybe the Pope was not a fan of FDR or the City just wanted to look like it did more for those in need?

Daily News: Spitzer Scandals Pushes Back Roosevelt Island Efforts for Direct Representation

Today's New York Daily News includes a column regarding the effects of the Spitzer scandal upon our efforts to directly elect representatives onto the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors. To view the entire article link HERE.

NY Law Students Help Roosevelt I. Resident

The New York Daily News is reporting, Monday, February 18, 2008, on a story where New York Law students assisted investors who felt wronged by their stock brokers and investment advisors including Roosevelt Island resident, Arline Jacoby.

Daily News Reports $7M Needed to Stabilize Smallpox Hospital

The NY Daily News ran an article in today's paper, February 12, 2008 which focuses on the funding needed to stabilize the former smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island. Double click the article at left to see the entire article.

From the article:

"We've been told by the engineers that to really do an adequate job, we need somewhere around $7 million," said Steve Shane, chief executive officer of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. "We have $4.5 million to spend on preservation. The rest of the money is slated for the parks, and I don't want to pit the preservation people versus the parks people."

"We're starting a campaign for another $3 million to make the stabilization better," said [Judy] Berdy [of the Historical Society]. "Four and a half million is not enough to make it stable."

It just seems crazy to me that the public must directly raise funds to support this stabilization when the state has years to ensure the collapse would not happen while the hospital was under its stewardship.

Daily News Runs Article re RIOC Board Nominee Election

Today's New York Daily News, Sunday, February 10, 2008 includes an article on Roosevelt Island's recent RIOC Board Nominee Election.

It appears that the Daily News has run the article in its Queens edition. It does not appear to have run in the Manhattan edition. I am guessing Island residents who buy the paper on the Island today will see the article as I am guessing our deliveries of the paper come in via Queens.

I doubt the paper is under the belief the Island is part of Queens as it does state that elected nominee Jonathan Kalkin (pictured above) is also a Democratic county committeeman for the 65th Assembly District which does not extend beyond Manhattan.